The Kiri Rebellion
by 6tailedninja
Summary: After the Battle of the Bridge, Haku wonders alone on a soul searching journey when she meets Kaguya Jinkotsu, a young man with a bloodline limit, together they plan on changing the Land of Water.
1. Meetings and Beginnings

The Kiri Rebellion

By: 6tailedninja

Ch. 1 Meetings and Beginnings

Summary: After the Battle of the Bridge, Haku wonders alone on a soul searching journey when she meets Kaguya Jinkotsu, a young man with a bloodline limit, together they plan on changing the Land of Water.

A/N: I know that Haku is officially a guy, but I just can't seem to wrap my mind around it, so Haku is a female in this literary master . Any way don't expect to see much from the main cast of Naruto; there will be some mentioning of some of them. The cast will mostly be OC's.

///

Kakashi stood ready with his Lightning Blade fully charged up as he located Momochi Zabuza while the thick fog slowly dispelled. "You can't even kill an old man and you call yourself Demon!" The mocking shout startled all who were present. Gato stood on the uncompleted end of the bridge with at least fifty hired thugs.

"What is the meaning of this," Zabuza growled from his locked position, ignoring the eight ninja dogs that held him in place.

"Rogue ninja are so expensive, it is simply cheaper to kill you after you're worn out from your battle," the fraudulent business man grinned evilly.

"So you plan on kill us then?" Gato merely nodded and his men positioned themselves to charge the worn out ninjas. "Kakashi," once he had the Copy Cat Ninjas attention he continued. "Our quarrel is over. Haku, new objective!"

The demons female apprentice was glad that she no longer had to fight the leaf ninjas, but it was a pity what she had done to the black haired boy. "Naruto," she said slowly, getting the blond attention. "I am sorry about your friend, but our fight is no longer with you." With that said she ran passed the blond while taking out a kunai knife from his pouch and tossed it to her master, who caught the small blade in his mouth, as his arms were no longer working.

The remaining leaf ninja and Tazuna watched in shock, Kakashi was only mildly surprised, as the two decimated the bandits in front of them and decapitated Gato. The two staggered back to where the leaf ninja were standing at ready. "Haku," Zabuza said, swords sticking out of his body. "I… want you …to… live." He collapsed and Haku, who received various cuts and slashes, fell alongside him.

"You bastards you killed our meal ticket!" one of the remaining hired goons yelled in anger. Before anyone could make a move, a lone arrow pieced the concrete, the shaft still quivering. The archer was none other than Inari backed by every male, and most female, villager, each armed with pitchforks and rusty swords and other makeshift weapons.

///

A few days after the events at the bridge Naruto, Sakura, Kakashi, and a recovering Sasuke stood over the graves of the Demon of the Mist, Momochi Zabuza, and his young apprentice Haku. "You look troubled Naruto." Kakashi voiced his concern over the look plastered on the blonds face.

"I was just thinking that had we meet under different circumstances we could have been good friends, Haku and I," Naruto said. "I don't think they were really bad people, despite all that they had done."

"Though he led the life of a criminal, he did redeem himself as a shinobi in the end," the Jonin observed. "People are always judged by their actions and hardly ever consider their motivations," Kakashi said. "Come we need to leave.

///

After a tearful good-bye, Team 7 left the Land of Waves. A few miles out of town Kakashi called for a break, his excuse was that their journey to Wave was intense and that they should enjoy being outside the village while they could. None of the three noticed that they were talking to a Shadow Clone. "Are you all right with this?" Kakashi asked Haku.

"Yes, I don't want to be a bother, besides I don't think Sasuke or Sakura has forgiven me yet," she smiled in good humor, though Kakashi knew she was hurting on the inside.

"My offer still stands you know, it's not too late."

"I will keep that in mind, but for now I must do a little soul searching before I can live in a village again. Though I hope someday I can join the Leaf," she said.

"I will make sure that only the Third Hokage knows you're still alive. I need to get going, good luck," Kakashi said in understanding.

"Thank you," Haku whispered.

///

Back at the former hideout, Haku dressed herself in a light traveling clothes with her ninja gear hidden way. Double checking to see if she had everything she made a few hand sign, ending of tiger, and used her jutsu. "Fire Release: Phoenix Immortal Fire Technique," several small fire balls shot out of her mouth and hit the large hut in several places. She waited with several water Jutsus in mind incase the fire went out of control. After the hut was nothing but a smoking pile of ash and charcoal she left at great speeds towards the nearest road.

///

Kaguya Jinkotsu smirked as he watched 'Miss Hitomi' play with the little children around the camp fire. Three days ago the caravan he was hired to protect came across the young girl and offered her to join them. To the untrained eye she was a carefree individual, but to Jinkotsu she was sad and weary, especially whenever she saw his crossed out Mist headband. At seventeen year old he was an accomplished fighter, every hunter-nin sent after him was met with a quick death. Despite hailing from the now barbaric and almost extinct clan, he was a very calm person and enjoyed meditating out in the wild. "I'm hungry," Datsu complained as he stuck his small head out of Jinkotsu's backpack.

"All right, I'll take you to the creek," he comforted his own personal river otter summon. He opened his bag to let the young otter out. "Miss Hitomi," Jinkotsu called out. "Would you care to join me?"

"Yes, I'll be right there," she answered.

///

Haku had been playing with 'house' with two little girls when Jinkotsu 'invited' her to come with him. They walked about around a bend until they came to the water and Datsu went into the water with the energy of a five year old. "So," Jinkotsu began as he turned to her. "Why is a Mist hunter-nin here? Come to take my head?" he asked as if he were talking about the weather. Haku quickly jumped back as he lashed out with her with an ivory blade that had most likely been hidden up is large sleeves.

"I have no wish to fight," she tried to calm him, but knew he didn't believe her.

"There is no way that a Mist ninja is here and not after my head." The two were now standing on the water, exchanging blows, he slashing with his ivory blade and she throwing acupuncture needles.

'There is no end to this,' she thought. 'If I win I will have to run for it, leaving that caravan defenseless. But I have no choice.' She quickly made several hand signs, "Demonic Ice Crystal Mirrors." Around twenty paper thin ice mirrors surrounded Jinkotsu as Haku literally stepped into one of the mirrors. "Now witness my kekkei genkai," she said.

"I have no more reason to fight you," the Kaguya said as his arms dropped down to his sides.

"Why not," Haku asked with surprised suspicion.

"Because like you I too have a bloodline limit, you were not treated well as a child correct? Your eyes tell me so," he explained his reasoning.

"Master Jinkotsu, what's going on," an elderly man yelled from the shore line as several of the men form the caravan came up behind him, all armed with wooden clubs and other makeshift weapons. Haku undid her Jutsu and was about to flee when…

"It is all right, Miss Hitomi is my work partner. She did not join right away as she was making sure no one followed us," He remedied the group's fears. Quietly he spoke to Haku, "Stay awhile, I think you and I should have a talk."

///

Two days after the incident the caravan arrived at the Land of Palm Trees. From there the Caravan paid them and went their separate ways. The place was a tropical paradise, and a great tourist attraction, despite all the dangers. The country was the closest mainland to the islands that made up the Land of Water, a near lawless country. The Mizukage was a corrupt tyrant, he let the slave trade and drug trafficking go unnoticed as long as the officials were paid ten percent of all profits, he even lent out shinobi to help the slave traders. Slaves were usually young women tourist; they were kidnapped, drugged, and then sold as prostitutes. Every year hundreds of people would go missing, never to be found, if officials actually looked to local lords or 'massage parlors' they would have found them.

"Hmn, you can see the islands today," Jinkotsu mused as they ate out on a restaurant balcony.

"I would rather not think about it," Haku stated as she sipped at her strawberry lemonade. "The place is a hell hole."

"That is why I take job offers," Haku looked at him questioningly. "I only spend the bare minimum, take today's meal for example, I have no intentions of paying for it, all the money I make is going to finance my coup d'état of the Mizukage."

"That's ambitious, but even one of the Seven Swordsmen of Mist has tried and failed," Haku stated, remembering Zabuza's failed assassination attempt.

"Yes, Momochi Zabuza. He was a bit foolish charging into the Mizukage's tower," if he noticed Haku glare he didn't show it as he continued to look towards the gray blotches that was the Land of Water. "What I am going to do is start out small, eliminate the constables and minor Lords on the smaller Islands and disrupting the slave trade and drug trafficking. In time it will hurt the Mizukage and I will have gotten stronger."

"Sounds like you want to wage war," Haku stated dryly.

"You could say that, the people are suppressed and those who possess the kekkei genkai are in hiding. When someone stands up to the government and succeeds constantly they will rise up too."

"You think you will win if you have the peoples support?" Haku asked.

"Yes, but I need allies, that is why I am telling you this Haku."

"I see, wait what? My name is Hitomi," Haku relented when Jinkotsu gave her a flat stare. "How did you know?"

"You and Zabuza are quite infamous for your stunt a few years back. Besides my grandfather was the oldest member of the Seven Swordsman. He kept tabs on all the members and their activities after they were disbanded."

"I see, may I ask you a question?" when the older teen nodded his head Haku continued. "I heard the whole Kaguya clan was wiped out, so how did you survive?"

"When the Yondiame Mizukage took power thirteen year ago he dispelled the Seven Swordsmen, my grandfather left the village and took my parents and I with him. What I didn't learn from scrolls, he taught me. Three years later the rest of my clan went to their slaughter and my grandfather and parents met their end at the hands of hunter-nins," Jinkotsu explained his back story. "Now tell me about your past."

///

An hour later Haku and her new partner were headed towards the docks when they heard a commotion down a dark alley, deciding to check it out they found a door in the ground leading to a hidden basement, probably to hide abducted girls. Using caution the two worked their down a short tunnel until they reached the source of the commotion. A girl wearing a white crop top shirt and a black leather miniskirt with slit sides was battling a now small group of thugs and two Mist Chunins. In her right hand she held an umbrella that she tossed into the air did several hand seals "Ninja Art: Raining Needles." The umbrella spun fast throwing several dozen needles down upon the group finishing all off but the two Mist Chunins.

Jinkotsu decided to act then, "Five Bone Bullet." The bone finger tips shot out of his hand as his fingers split and reattached as his finger bones were already healed. All five bones hit one of the Chunins in the side of the head with enough force to blow out the other side of his face. The other Chunin turned to see what happened, only to be decapitated by his original opponent with a long straight blade. "You are quite talented," Jinkotsu observed. The girl got in a ready stance as she held the blade in her hand and umbrella strapped to her back.

"You scum bags, not only do you sell women, but you kill your own men," she spat.

"Relax, the guards were making such a large commotion we heard from outside and came to see what has going on. Apparently they didn't think such a pretty teen would be a missing-nin from Amegakure," he said taking note of her headband that she wore as a choker. "I could use someone like you."

"What for," She asked suspiciously. One careful explanation later she nodded and placed her clean blade in the stock of her umbrella. "By the way my name is Hari." The other two ninja's introduced themselves. As Haku walked along Hari she noticed that two thin but long chains connected her black wrist bands to either side of her scratched out headband.

"So what's with the chains and choker," Haku asked.

"I enjoy bondage," she said with a seductive wink. "You should try it some time," she said shamelessly as the other two ninja turned slightly red, their reactions caused her to laugh. She took this time to study her new friends, 'friends that's a nice thought they seem like good people.' Kaguya Jinkotsu wore clothes reminding her of loose Japanese fighting monks, oddly enough he wore a backpack. And Haku was wearing a brown and blue kimono.

"So when do leave for Kiri," Haku asked, trying to change the subject.

"There are several boats that leave for Jinshinbaibai, all slave ships and drug transports go to this Island. The man in charge there is Dokyun; he is paranoid about shinobi and doesn't let many on the small island. If we want to start our rebellion that would be as good as any place." He informed the two kuniochi.

"You sure know a lot about the Land of Waters, been preparing for long," Haku asked.

"I have studied all of the islands extensively and know most of the Lords and constables as well as the politics. If we take out Dokyun we leave Jinshinbaibai leaderless expect the various slave trader lieutenants. With him out of the way the rest will fight for leader ship as he has no second-in-command."

///

Jinshinbaibai would have been a pleasant place had it not been for the sleazy people, buildings, and atmosphere. The only place that was actually remotely nice, if only in material appearance was Dokyun's miniature castle. The man himself was meeting with a business man who held promising 'merchandise.' He greeted his guest in the garden.

"Mr. Dokyun," Gansaku greeted his client. "As you can see the merchandise is top quality. The one on the right is an 18 year old and a natural brunette who will do _anything_ you desire. The 15 year old girl is quite the beauty, even if her breast are a bit small, she has a submissive attitude and won't cause you trouble."

After looking both girls over he decided, "This one, I will offer you $5,000 for her."

"Sorry I can't accept that, the going rate for virgins is $10,000, it is hard to keep men from raping them," Gansaku explained the reason for the cost. "However I will sell the other one for $6,000."

"That's too much," Dokyun argued.

"I work by myself, do you know how hard that is," his eyes had a dangerous glint in them.

"$5,500 for the brunette," he offered, hoping it would do. He refrained from sighing with relief as the seller nodded in agreement. After making sure the money transferred safely the seller handed the man the young woman's chain that was connected to a metal collar.

///

That night Dokyun was busy with his new property. She was on top of him doing what he demanded as he kissed her breast, a few minutes into the activities they were groping each other and the woman's hand made their way up to his head, gripping his hair when, SNAP. Dokyun corpse fell as his snapped neck dangled off the side of the chair he was on. Hari got dressed quickly and made her way down a corridor silently to where Dokyun's office resided.

Once inside she quickly located a safe under a floor board. She used an unknown jutsu to work the combination. Once open she found several scrolls detailing trade routes, informants, seller and buyers, as well as three different slave trade bosses. There was also nearly $700,000 in cash. She quickly sealed all of the safe's contents into another scroll before slipping out into the night through a window.

///

"You did well Hari," Jinkotsu stated, no longer in his henge, as she meet them at their designated rendezvous. "Now we wait and see what happens in the next few days." Haku walked up to Hari.

"Are you all right?" she asked concern in her voice.

"Best assassination I have ever done, though he wasn't very good in the sack," she grinned as Haku and Jinkotsu turned away, Haku blushing and Jinkotsu interested in the coconuts in the palm trees.

"Well, uh," Jinkotsu started awkwardly. "Haku and I found and old abandoned cave, so uh, let's go."

///

News had gotten out faster than expected and the whole island was in an uproar. There were several factions already fighting in the port town and various villages burned to the ground before midday. "I wasn't quite expecting riots," Haku observed.

"One person killed and this whole island is thrown into anarchy. From now on the other islands won't be so easy to through into chaos," Jinkotsu remarked.

"How so," Hari questioned. It was Haku who answered though.

"This is the only island with one official and no ninja," she informed her fellow kuniochi.

"How many islands are there?" the sex crazed kuniochi asked.

"Forty-two, but don't worry we won't have to pay each one a visit, once we do enough damage will have drained the Mizukage's resources."

"What about Kiri's allies?" This time Jinkotsu answered.

"Because it is so far out at sea it is hard to get to without the proper sea charts and not very many people want to deal with such a shady government," he explained.

"So my next question, where to next?"

"Kojima," he replied. "It is a civilian island that to the public is a gambling town, but down below it is a factory for counterfeit money."

///

Ranki, the Yondiame Mizukage, was not having a good day. First he learned that some other than Mist shinobi done in Momochi Zabuza and his whore, then the last Kaguya disappeared off the radar, the island of Jinshinbaibai was in an up roar as Dokyun was assassinated by one of his sex slaves, and now Nieyu, Kiri's own Jinchuuriki, flooded Kojima.

"Suiren," he called. "Go to Jinshinbaibai and stop the riots, then go eliminate Nieyu."

"Yes, my master," a feminine voice whispered from the shadows.

///

Haku, known as the demons apprentice, she had a relatively good childhood until her father learned about her bloodline limit and killed her mother and almost her. She survived on the streets for six month until Zabuza took her under his wing. Together they tried to assassinate the current Mizukage. Now at fifteen she has joined up with Jinkotsu to take down the Mizukage. She has half-again as much chakra as Kakashi

Kaguya Jinkotsu (human bone) is a seventeen years old, he was taken from Kiri when he was two, thirteen years before the current story line, and was raised by his parents and maternal grandfather until he was ten when hunter-nins caught up to them. His family prevailed, but they died from their wounds leaving him an orphan, since then he has studied nearly everything there is to know about the Land of Waters and has been doing several high paying jobs for less then what they are worth in order to steal jobs from Hidden Villages. He has twice as much chakra as Kakashi.

Datsu (Japanese river otter) is Jinkotsu's own personal summon. He normally sleeps in Jinkotsu's backpack, only to come out to sleep and eat.

Hari (needle, pin, hook, pain) is a missing-nin from Amegakure, she uses an acupuncture loaded umbrella that also hides an straight sword and she has three-fourths the amount of chakra as Kakashi. She is the oldest of the three traveling companions.

Dokyun (dumb ass) an official at Jinshinbaibai, he has a large collection of sex slaves. (Deceased)

Gansaku (fake, scam, counterfeit) is an alias used by Jinkotsu.

Ranki (mountain mist) is the Yondiame Mizukage. He came to power when the previous Mizukage disappeared. Since then he has outlawed bloodline limits, making it treason to have one. He is corrupt and cruel.

Nieyu (boiling water) is the Jinchuuriki that is the host to the three-tailed turtle and is only eleven years old.

Suiren (water lily) is the Mizukage's personal assassin and bodyguard, she is nineteen years old.

Jinshinbaibai (human trafficking) is a port island on the far side of the Land of Water. All drug and human trafficking comes here, it is run by alone man and there are several rival gangs who want to rule the island.

Kojima (Small Island) is publicly known as a gambling town, but houses several underground counterfeit money making plants. Apparently it was flooded recently by Nieyu.

///

This is my new story. I decided to give their chakra amounts with a comparison to Kakashi as he is the one we know (better than anyone else) how much chakra he has. I think it is better than my other story, Naruto of the Akatsuki. For this story I actually thought it out before writing. lol. Anyway please leave a review it really helps; no flames please.


	2. The Water Lily and the Boiling Water

The Kiri Rebellion

By: 6tailedninja

Ch. 2 The Water Lily and the Boiling Water

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or anything related, only the plot and the OC's. So… go f-ck yourselves your greedy bastards.

A/N:

///

Haku rested quietly in the small boat that they had stolen; the gentle rocking would have put her to sleep had she not been thinking of Zabuza. She had been hiding her feelings from her two companions, though they were nice to her, they did not fill the gaping wound in her heart. He had been everything to her, a gruff father, a teacher, and her reason for living. He may not have been the nicest person in the world and used her like a tool, but in the end he wished for her to live a long and happy life as he died. For three days she had wondered around not knowing what to do until she met the caravan. The children provided her with momentary delight, but not enough to give her enough reason to live. It wasn't until Jinkotsu explained what that he wished to change the Land of Water that she regained a sense of purpose. 'Master Zabuza,' she thought. 'I know you didn't want me to continue with this dangerous life, but with your teachings I can change the Land of Water for the better.'

"Hey guys look at this," Hari said excitedly, breaking Haku out of her thoughts. It was then that Haku realized how bright it was for night, even with the full moon. The extra light source came from underneath the water. A giant school of fish was swimming underneath their anchored sailboat, their silver scales glowing as bright as the moon, casting eerie shadows across their boat. Haku looked in awe.

"What are these," she asked questioningly to Jinkotsu.

"I…I don't know," his face opened in awe as the trial of light extended for miles in every direction, lighting up the sea and sky. As they took a closer look they saw just how big each fish was.

"I have seen full grown tuna smaller than these fish," Hari stated. "And there are hundreds if not thousands of them!"

"In the Land of Waves there is a fisherman's legend about the schools of moon fish," Haku remembered over hearing an old fisherman tell his grandson the legend. "It is said that they light up the ocean as they swim around the world, if you follow them they will take you to a hidden island that is bountiful in fruits, trees, and has vast amounts of treasure."

"Sounds like fun," Hari replied, a glint in her eye.

"But," Haku continued. "If you are following them and the line of fish passes you a giant see monster will attack you and you have to keep up with the fish to stay alive," she finished the legend.

"Well we better do as the legend tells us," Jinkotsu said abruptly, nervousness clearly in his voice. "Look." The two kuniochi looked to where he was pointing. Just a few miles out the glow ended, shining light upon a giant turtle like creature with three giant shrimp like creatures. The two stared in horror as they could feel its massive chakra all the way from where the beast was quickly closing the distance. "Move it," Jinkotsu shouted. "Haku, Hari, raise the sail," he commanded as he scrambled to the front of the sail boat to pull up the anchor.

"We have another problem the water is starting to boil," Hari shouted, as the moon fish started to float to the top as the hot water killed them.

"Just hurry with that sail; afterwards one of you take the rudder," Jinkotsu said. "I'm almost done with my Jutsu. The girls got the sail up in a nick of time. "Wind Release: Divine Guiding Wind." The air currents on the ocean changed going along the boat, catching the sail and they took off at a fast speed. 'No good," Jinkotsu thought as steam rose from the ocean as the boiling water continued to heat up. 'We can no longer see where we are going,' he thought worriedly. "Haku, go the prow of the ship and keep an eye out for obstacles."

Haku watched carefully, but it was hard to see through all of the steam. 'At this rate the steam will cook us alive,' she thought when suddenly the whole boat started jerking."What's happening," she called back. Only silence greeted her. Taking a quick look around her noticed several things: she was alone on the boat, the monster was gone, the fish were gone, and the steam was replaced by a thick fog that quickly blinded her from seeing even her hands. "Hello anybody there," the Demons apprentice called out, not even the sound of water answered her. "Release," she shouted, believing someone placed her in genjutsu.

Eight shall rise to wage a war

One to lead, Seven to follow

The Queen of the Ice, the Ivory King

She who brings Rain, One who knows no Restraint

A Criminal will be redeemed, The Harbinger of Great Floods

Priestess shall Heal Death, Foreigner shall bear Ideas

Water will run red, Peace comes with a Price

The chosen will be delighted in those who share his dream

The world shall change, for better or worse

'What was that,' Haku thought, as darkness descended upon her.

///

The first think Haku noticed was the bright sun shining through her eyelids, the next thing she noticed was weight on her chest and breath on her face. "Are you awake yet," a young voice asked. Opening her eyes—she would have shrieked had she not been well trained—Datsu was only two inches from her face, sitting between her breasts. "I'm hungry," he complained.

"Where are we," she questioned as she took in her odd surroundings. The beach she was on was black, the ocean a deep purple color and the sky green.

"I don't know, but if you feed me I'll take you to Jinkotsu," the young summon said.

"You know where he is?"

"No, but I could track him."

"Why aren't you in his backpack?"

"I was, it right over there," he pointed as if he were a bird dog. Sure enough the tattered backpack was lying lower on the beach as water lapped around it. "Now let's go eat," the otter urged as he traveled inland.

///

Haku and Datsu had traveled inland on what she presumed was an extinct volcano. The jungle was teaming with life, more so than any other place Haku had been to. The two sat silently, Haku cooking her fish while Datsu ate his raw. "Did you hear any voice last night," Haku asked thinking about what she heard before she passed out the night before.

"No, I wasn't there," at Haku confused look he continued. "I had went back home to take care of some stuff. I went to sleep there and then I woke up in Jinkotsu's backpack. I have no idea what happed last night or where this is."

"I see," Haku replied. Once the fish was thoroughly cooked and eaten they began to search of their teammates.

///

"What a creepy place," Jinkotsu stated as he observed the giant centipede that he killed. He had woken up in a large wet cave that had been filling up with water at an alarming rate. After he got out he tried to search for his associates, along the way he was attacked by an abnormally large tiger, a boa constrictor, and the latest a giant centipede. "I bet the girls would love this," he smiled at the thought of them freaking out at the large bugs. Even though they were kuniochi he had yet to come across a woman not freaked out by large insects. He himself though was enjoying the place, he had seen several plants and animals he had only read about and even more never even heard of. Of course the unnatural skies and ocean color worried him a bit.

The Kaguya survivor decided it was time to turn back, his teammates probably washed up somewhere along the endless black beach. Two hours later he found Hari's umbrella opened up and stuck in the ground. Upon examining the tracks, she had been laying underneath when someone or something violently dragged her away by her shoulder length hair. 'This isn't good, anything or anyone capable of dragging a former Jonin way is nothing to sneeze at,' he thought as recovered the umbrella.

///

Nieyu was agitated. Last night the three tailed demon took control as it sensed the moon fish, its favorite food, and chased a sailboat into an unnatural fog. When he came to he was inside the remains of the hull of an old western galley smashed into the rocks of a foreign island. He had been to every island in the Land of Water and this one was completely different. It was a volcanic island, not a sunken continent. "Damn that turtle," he cursed his Biju. He would have continued to curse had he not felt a familiar and hated presence behind him. "Did dearest Ranki send you to punish me?"

"I was supposed to stop the riots in Jinshinbaibai, then kill you, but I saw you last night and now I'm here," Suiren said conversely as she appear in front of him. She was a five foot three brunette with dark brown eyes. She wore black combat boots and cargo pants and black tank-top. Two blades like claws slipped out between her knuckles with a distinctive snkt sound on each hand and one out of each foot.

Nieyu jumped out of the way as the viscous and more experienced shinobi attacked with her claws. 'This is the first time I have seen her fight, but she was my handler for seven years,' he thought calmly. 'She knows everything there is to know about me.' Jumping out of the trees onto the beach he retreated to the purple water, where he would hopefully have the advantage. "Steam Release: Teapot Whistle!" high pressured steam shot out of his mouth, shrieking just like a ready teapot, completely enveloping his assassin. He jumped out of the way as he felt Suiren rush up out of the water, but he was too late as she slashed him from his chin to just below his eye. She kicked at his head with blinding speed, the metal claw on her foot making the kick even more dangerous.

The sound of metal hitting metal made Suiren grin sadistically. "So you finally brought out Kamenoko." The sword in question was about six feet in length, the sharp end was blunted like a maul and the dull end had a three inch diameter while the hilt sported a large green flower and a wicked hook. "I have always wanted to fight you at your full strength."

///

Haku and Datsu where on guard as they made their way back to where they washed up on shore, ten minutes ago they heard a large explosion of water and the beast of earth and birds of the sky flew off at frightening speeds, arousing the two's curiosity. "I can feel massive amounts of chakra coming from the beach," Datsu warned. Haku nodded her head. One of the chakra sources was the same as the sea monster, which was almost as evil feeling as Naruto's red chakra, and the other was normal chakra filled with controlled bloodlust, reminding her of her late master.

"Datsu, I want you to stay back in case of," before she finished she grabbed the young otter and used an ice mirror to escape a boiling tsunami that crashed through the trees, devastating all that was in the way.

"Haku look," from their new position on a high mountain cliff the two could see the large sea monster from last night battling someone. "Do you think its Jinkotsu or Hari?"

"One way to find out," Haku replied.

///

Jinkotsu tracked Hari to a cave, which he entered with great care. The entrance was a long tunnel that lead to a well lit chamber, where Hari was tied spread eagle on a wall with her clothes in a messy pile on the opposite wall. After making sure the cave was empty of threats he approached Hari and slowly let her down. He took off his outer most cloak and wrapped it around her bruised body. "Hari, Hari wake up. Wake up Hari," he lightly slapped her face.

"Jinkotsu," Hari said weakly, confusion in her voice. "What happened?"

"Someone captured you. Don't worry, you're safe now." The younger shinobi carried Hari out of the cave bridal style. Once outside he started to back the beach when he heard and saw the tsunami racing towards him. "Bone Shield," his back bone broke through his skin and rapidly formed a thick sphere around the two friends just as the water hit with the force to snap an old oak tree.

///

Suiren stood panting over Nieyu's unconscious body. "You gotten stronger since I last saw you," the woman said as she took in the damage their fight made. The whole landscape was scarred and broken. She sat down and let her burnt body heal. Even though she wasn't hit by any of the attacks directly, the steam still burned her considerably. "Do you want to be next girl," the clawed woman asked as she felt Haku's presence.

Haku was surprised at the older woman's skill, Zabuza had trained her extensively on stealth and yet this woman saw right through her. Haku was about to reply when the Mist Ninja attacked her. "I underestimated you," she stated. "You are quite dangerous."

"Having the Demon of the Mist's apprentice calling me that is quite the honor," Suiren replied as she appeared directly behind Haku and skewered her, only for water to splash at her feet. She quickly kicked back, narrowly missing Haku.

'What is this woman,' Haku wondered. 'She defeated that sea monster, her wounds are completely healed, and she still has more charka than me.' Thinking fast Haku did several hand signs for a Jutsu. "Thousand Flying Water Needles of Death," one thousand needle made of water surrounded Suiren and flew at her with blinding speed. 'I see she is very fast,' Haku had used that Jutsu to figure out her enemies speed. Though it was very fast, it still had an opening at the top and could be escaped from if you were fast enough.

"Mist Slasher," Suiren cried as she used a ten hit combo on Haku, only to find an ice block. 'Ice? Must be a kekkei genkai,' she deducted. "Whirlpool kick," she did a fast butterfly kick as Haku tried to get in close with three needles in each hand. "Maelstrom," she shouted doing a reverse roundhouse kick that caught Haku's chin. "Current Punch," she delivered a powerful punch to Haku's stomach, her blades piecing all the way through the Demons apprentice. "Ice again," she growled irritably.

"Ice Release: Three Spiked Ball Shot," as the name suggested three spiked ice balls shot as Suiren who was weighed down by the ice stuck on her claws. Haku watched in astonishment as the assassin shook off being hit squarely in the temple.

"That hurt," Suiren glared murderously. Using her other hand she shattered the ice. "Water Release: Roaring Dragon God," Haku's eyes widen as gigantic water dragon rose out water, but what really surprised her was how few hand signs the enemy used for such a powerful attack.

"Demonic Ice Mirrors," Suiren's eyes widen as several ice mirrors formed around her. "Now see some real speed." Haku attacked relentlessly as Suiren tried to evade, who was little trouble.

"This is the best you can do," the Kuniochi sneered.

"Water Prison Technique," Suiren was surprised when she was enveloped by a sphere made of water. "Checkmate," Jinkotsu said. "Haku, finish her.

///

Three hours later Haku was tending to Hari. "How is she," Jinkotsu asked.

"She's been beaten pretty hard, someone took a switch to her," Haku told him the grave news. "She is bleeding internally and haves two broken and four fractured ribs."

"I see, what about the boy?"

"He is doing remarkable well, though I did have to stitch the wound below his left eye. It is almost as if he has a kekkei genkai," she informed him.

"No, I think he is a Jinchuriki," at Haku questioning look explained. "Jinchuriki are people who have one of the nine Biju sealed into them. The Biju are demons made of pure chakra, each one has a set amount of tails. The weakest has one tail and the most powerful has nine. Any ways the Jinchuriki gain immense power and healing abilities, though I hear they have unusual markings."

'I wonder if that is what Naruto is," Haku thought about the unpredictable ninja. "It would explain why I saw a sea monster battling the Mist ninja and when I got here the boy was here instead."

"But why did he chase us?"

"He wasn't chasing you; moon fish is the turtle bastard's favorite food."

"Finally decided to speak huh," Haku stated as the two outcasts turned to face the young boy. "After fifteen minutes I was beginning to thing you were mute." The boy merely grunted. "Nice show of gratitude." Instead of thanking her or asking who the two were he asked them about Suiren.

"She's dead," Jinkotsu replied. "Do you know anything about this place though?"

"It's an odd island with savage aborigines; if you don't believe me just look at the tree line," he pointed. Where the tree's once stood a small army of savage looking men stood in loincloths and armed to the teeth. Their apparent leader held a large spear and wore a tiger skin vest; he looked pissed.

"Think they had anything to do with Hari's condition," Jinkotsu asked.

"No doubt about it." The sudden battle cry caused the three conscious to take a defensive stance. "How did they sneak up on us without being felt?"

"My guise if because they're hunters, they live by tracking wild life without being sensed by their pray," Haku winced with Jinkotsu's explanation. She should have known that, Zabuza made her hunt for their food most of the time.

The natives were nearly halfway down the beach when unexpected earsplitting roar that shook the mountains themselves.

"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT," the three shinobi and Datsu cried as the residents fled screaming.

///

A figure watched from the sidelines, sipping coconut milk with a hollowed reed. 'That was amusing,' it thought. 'I wonder if they will come with me when I finally leave this God forsaken island. Of course there could be a language barrier.' The silhouette moved from its position and continued to track the shinobi as they moved their incapacitated comrade to a more defendable place.

///

Well another chapter done. There is a good reason I had them go to the island. Don't expect a whole lot of warfare for another one or two more chapters. Please tell me what you think of how my characters are. If you think they are lacking don't worry, as their group gets bigger so does their internal strife.

Kamenoko—(1) young turtle (2) turtle shell—Nieyu sword, he has only owned it for five months and is proficient with it.

Next Time: They Call Me Dirk!

As a mysterious stranger offers to help our intrepid heroes to get off the island as Nieyu seems to posses some knowledge of the island, but the seemingly dead Suiren is once again after our protagonist looking for revenge for her near death.


	3. They call me Dirk!

The Kiri Rebellion

By: 6tailedninja

Ch. 3 They Call me Dirk!

Disclaimer: If I owned the Naruto franchise I would write more on Kirigakure and its shinobi.

A/N: Have you ever watched SG1? Hari is much like Vala Mal Doran who first appeared in season 8 and became a full time member in seasons 9 and 10. While Hari is not as antagonistic as Vala, she does joke and talk about intercourse frequently to harass people while doing the rarely doing the act.

///

"Do you think we're safe here," Datsu asked as the three conscious shinobi laid down their injured comrade on the cave floor, Datsu had since gone back to his home.

"I don't think there is any place safe on this island," Jinkotsu answered. "We still don't know what did this to Hari."

"I wonder if it was one of the natives, some of them looked pretty strong and they were able to sneak up on us without noticing their presence," Haku pondered.

"The natives are a brutal people who worship Hyudora, the demonic sea monster hydra," Nieyu said suddenly. "It is said make its home in the seas of the Timeless Island, and island that exist outside of the timeline."

"Never heard of this legend," Jinkotsu mused to himself. "This is legend is the demon you have sealed away isn't it," Jinkotsu realized suddenly. Nieyu was silent for a time before answering.

"Yes."

"I thought it was more of a turtle with shrimp tails," Haku thought aloud, remembering the silhouette of when they were chased.

"It's an ancient name from an ancient time," the boy answered. "If we want to get off this island we will need to build a sturdy boat," as he finished his sentence the three threw several projectiles out of the cave entrance, the sound of someone yelping in surprise brought the three on guard from attack.

"I don't mean you harm," the thirty-year old man said as he stepped out from behind a tree. He wore raggedy clothing that probably was once a nice outfit long ago. "I think we can help each other," the way he pronounced every word with slow hesitation told Haku that Japanese was not his native language. He leaned against a tree and started sipping milk out of a coconut through a reed straw. "You need to get off this island and I have a sturdy boat."

"If you have a boat why haven't you left already?" Jinkotsu interrogated.

"It's big, needs more than just me to sail it," the man answered. "If you help me sail way, I can help you get out of here without running into the locals."

"What makes you think we need your help?" Jinkotsu again asked a question.

"Because I seen you fight the clawed woman, the tribe leader is as strong as her. His followers are also strong." The three then knew that the only reason the felt his presence was because the let them. "So you see it would be best if you avoid them, and I know my way around this jungle like the back of my hand."

"All right, if you can help us make a stretcher for our companion we will accompany you."

///

The trek through the jungle went without incident, mostly because they were transversing the area that was annihilated by the boiling water. Haku was certain it was from Nieyu when he was in his turtle form. Haku wondered how long their guide had lived on the island, speaking of the guide, he never gave his name. "So what is your name?"

"That is a good question Haku," he answered. The three ninja narrowed their eyes behind his back; they never told him their names. "They call me Dirk!"

"Who's they?" she asked.

"They: parents, family and friends, subordinates; they," he answered erratically.

"You've been here for awhile," Jinkotsu guessed. "Given by your appearance and your relief to see non-barbaric people, just how long have you been on this island."

"Five years, give or take a month."

"What happened," Haku asked, despite her training telling not to get to close to someone who could be a threat.

"My ship was attacked by pirates, my crew and I fled into some fog and we went straight into a whirlpool, I don't know how I survived. Well here we are," he exclaimed cheerfully as they made their way around yet another bend. The shinobis' eyes widened as the saw several large trees with wooden structures built into them. Haku saw pulley elevators, rope bridges, and even a watermill, all connected to the trees and the cabins. Off in the background there were several waterfalls and rivers. "Home sweet home, if it weren't for the dangers of this island it would be quite the place. This way, I have a cot that we can put Hari on." His uses of their friends name reminded them that he had followed and listened to them without any of them noticing.

The elevator took them high up into the treetops and into one of the many houses, it building was actually quite cozy, there were animal skin rugs, grass made hammocks and wood carved chairs. Haku placed her injured friend on the bed. "She's in some pretty bad shape," Dirk noted. "One of the natives must have got her, most likely the tribe leader or his son."

"What can you tell us about them," Jinkotsu asked, ever the inquisitor.

"The locals are a wild bunch and are cannibalistic. The leader and his son are especially brutal and rape the tribeswomen nightly. Once they are finished they usually beat them or outright kill them. I have tried to stop them, but they are strong fighters, and experienced. They only leave me alone because I used science to make them believe I'm a magician or spirit."

"You said they rape women, do you think they raped Hari?"

"Most likely yes, it would probably be best if Haku took care of her until she is recovered physically, mentally, and emotionally. In the mean time I can take you to see the boat, I salvaged it from the various boats that wash up on the shores."

"Lot's of boats wash up here?" Haku asked.

"Yes, most of my tools and lots of my lumber are washed up wreckage. You should stay here with Nieyu, I show Jinkotsu the boat."

///

"So this is it," Jinkotsu observed the boat. It was nearly twenty feet long, six feet wide and ten feet tall. It had a single mast and a long cabin smack dab in the center. The boat was currently inside a dimly lit cavern about three miles from the tree fort. The boat was suspended by a platform like scaffolding that stretched down into a dark ravine where he could hear water. Either side was tied to the bamboo scaffolding.

"The high tide reaches all the way up here once a week so I have to keep it tied down so that is doesn't float off to sea," Dirk explained. "Inside the cabin there are eight hammocks, a small kitchen and a place to do your business."

"Did you build this all by yourself?"

"Yes, my dad was a carpenter and I was a shipwright before I joined the Dragon's Guard."

"Joined the what?"

"The Dragon's Guard, it is an organization that keeps peace and suppresses terrorism and bandits in the Golden Dragon Empire. I was leading an expedition to find new lands and make diplomatic and trade relationships with any countries we found, but instead we found pirates, lots and lots of pirates. Anyways the Empire is several months journey from where I encountered the whirlpool."

"I see, so back on track. When is the next high tide?"

"Six days from now, but if Hari is not recovered by then we should wait until she is fit to travel."

"Okay then."

///

Haku was placing fresh bandages on Hari, she knew that Hari had not been raped, but hearing it from Dirk seem to make it seem so. Although she did not know Hari for long, she felt a sisterly attachment to the older girl. It was difficult to suppress her emotions; it had been easy when she worked under Zabuza until she met Naruto. There was something about the boy that made her want to actually live for herself and not be "true" shinobi. She couldn't explain it. His idea that shinobi weren't meant to be emotionless killers was quite foreign to her but still a nice change in life.

"Are you and Jinkotsu missing ninja's from Kirigakure?" Nieyu's sudden question snapped the kuniochi out of her thoughts.

"Yes," she knew that the boy would probably be suspicious of them, especially since his head band was not scratched out.

"What's it like being a missing-nin?" The question caught her off guard.

"It pretty hard," she answered as she finished cleaning Hari's bandages. "We are constantly on the run and avoiding Mist Hunter-nins."

"What was your reason for leaving," he asked as he sat on the floor, his chin resting on his knees and arms wrapped around his legs.

"My master and I saw the Mizukage as corrupt and tried to assassinate him."

"So that makes your Master the Demon of the Bloody Mist Zabuza."

"Yes."

"So why are you back, to finish the job?"

"Why do you ask," Haku countered.

"He sent Suiren after me and most likely you as an assassin."

"Why you and me," Haku asked.

"You're the only one who I can think of that would attack Jinshinbaibai in attempt to destabilize the economy and I flooded the town Kojima."

The Harbinger of Great Floods

The powerful feminine voice startled Haku, 'why does that sentence sound so familiar? Have I heard that some were?' She could not place where she heard that before, perhaps a story her mother used to tell her? "Did you just hear a voice," she asked Nieyu.

"A voice, no why do you ask?"

"It's… no reason, it was probably a bird call in the wind." She did not know why, but she felt she had to ask this boy to join hers and Jinkotsu's rebellion, and she knew how he would ultimately answer. "Would you like to join us in our crusade against the Mizukage's tyranny?"

"What make you think I want to join?"

"Your eyes, they are full of the pain of solitude that has been forced on you by the Mizukage when he had the Biju put in you," she smiled sadly at him. "I have a kekkei genkai, I know what it's like to be hated and feared by the people because of what he Mizukage has done." Nieyu looked into Haku's eyes for a long time; he could tell that she was a kind person who had been hurt.

"Yeah, I'll join," the young boy answered.

///

That night after they ate a dinner consisting of various fruits and nuts and an unknown meat Haku decided to go out to the highest balcony and enjoy the stars. 'They're beautiful,' she thought to herself, it was then that she noticed none of the constellations she had grown up with were there. "I don't recognize any of these stars, do you Jinkotsu?"

"No," he answered softly as he stepped out from behind her. "But they are beautiful."

"I can't remember the last time I saw so many stars. As a kid I never got to see many, and when I did I didn't get to enjoy them."

"Where did you live at as a kid?"

"I can't remember the name of the island, but it was far in the north and snowed year round," she laughed suddenly. "I remember my father took me out ice fishing once, I was so excited about the four inch fish I caught that I wanted to keep it." Haku's face took on a sad look when she thought about the man she once called her father, he did no deserved to be called a father. Zabuza had become her father.

Jinkotsu caught Haku's silence. "Sorry for making you think of your father," he apologized, he knew he should not have brought up the girls past, even if he did not know what it was.

"It's all right, I should be over it by now." She looked back up at the stars. "Jinkotsu," she asked.

"Yeah, what is it."

"When we arrived at the island, or any time on this island, did you hear a voice? Like a strong yet kind feminine voice?"

"Just yours," he smiled at her.

"I was being serious," she slapped him shoulder. "But thank you for the compliment."

"No, I haven't why do you ask?"

"I think someone might have spoken to me, but it's hard to remember, like a distant memory of a dream. And then when I talked to Nieyu joining us he said that he flooded Kojima I heard a voice like the one I described say 'The Harbinger of Great Floods.' I don't know what to think of it."

"Well, I don't know what to think of it," his eyebrows came down sharply as he rubbed his chin. "Anyways, you should get to bed, it's getting late and we have to start making preparations." Much to his surprise Haku stood up on her toes and kissed his cheek.

"Good night," she whispered. Jinkotsu stared dumbly as Haku disappeared down the stairs. His shocked expression slowly turned into a goofy grin. Though he was a skilled ninja, he was still a teen who couldn't ignore a pretty girl.

"Well that was nice," he smirked.

///

"So this is a lot like shogi," Nieyu observed.

"Sure, whatever the hell that is," Dirk 'confirmed,' he was currently teaching Nieyu how to play chess. He was about to ask the boy if he wanted to play a game when Jinkotsu came in with a stupid look plaster face on his face. He was about to comment when Nieyu beat him to it.

"For crying out loud man, you were up there for three minutes; it couldn't have been that great." The silence that followed was amazingly awkward.

"WHAT! WE DIDN'T DO THAT!" Jinkotsu couldn't believe that an eleven year old would say such a thing. Dirk was just looked at Nieyu blankly before he started laughing, not just some small chuckle but a real gut buster.

"That…that was… that was… the most… funny thing… I have… I have ever…. ever heard," he was doubled over hitting his leg. Jinkotsu ignored the laughing foreigner.

"That was not something you should say to someone!"

"Why, embarrassed that the other guys do better than you," the boys impassive face did not betray whether he was just antagonizing him or not.

"That's just not what you say to anyone! Don't you have any manners?" he yelled as he kicked at the younger shinobi. The two were instantly grappling, kicking, and punching. Dirk watched on and laughed, it reminded him about him brother and himself when they were younger.

"What's going on?" the three froze. Haku stood at one of the doors, a puzzled look on her face. The three answered at the same time.

"Nothing."

"Just fun and games."

"Questioning Jinkotsu's ability to put out," Nieyu answered caused Jinkotsu to hit him, Dirk laughed, and Haku to turn red.

"WHAT KIND OF ANSWER IS THAT!" the two older ninja shouted at the boy.

"Alright everybody that's enough," Dirk finally said once his laughter died down. "You don't want to wake up Hari, she needs her rest." His input reminded them that Hari was injured. "Now let's get some sleep."

///

That night Haku couldn't sleep. 'Questioning Jinkotsu's ability to put out?' Did they think that the two of them had something going on between them? Was there? Jinkotsu was the most polite person she had ever met. He was friendly, smart, sweet, and actually fairly easy on the eyes. He was the first person to treat her well. True Zabuza had taken her under his wing, but he was brutal and saw her as a weapon until his last moments when he actually did show a human side. Then there was Naruto, while he did treat her as human, he was not someone she would like to… 'To what?' she asked herself. "This is going to be a long night," she sighed.

///

"Hey, wake up," Haku stirred as someone gently shook her. "Haku, wake up."

"What is it Jinkotsu," she said tiredly.

"Come look at this," she slowly got up and followed him to a balcony.

"Wow, it's amazing," the sun rise lit up the waterfalls and rivers, making them glow a brilliant blue and green and rainbows stretching across valleys. "Beautiful," she whispered.

"Yeah," Jinkotsu agreed. The two watched the sunrise for half-an-hour in comfortable silence. "Common, let's go find something to eat." When the two got to the homemade kitchen they found the rest of their friends eating some sort of eggs, including Hari who still had Jinkotsu's outer robe wrapped around her.

"Hari, it's good to see you up," Haku said excitedly and gave her friend a hug.

"Thank you, it's good to be up instead of restless sleep," she greeted.

"Can you tell us what happened," Jinkotsu inquired, wanting to get to the bottom of the mystery.

"After drifting into the fog I blacked out, when I came to I was on a strange beach with only my clothes and umbrella. I decided to stay put for awhile and I was relaxing when something hit the back of my head. I woke up tied up in cave some woman was there standing over a fire. Without saying anything she started beating me," Hari growled darkly. "She laughed as she broke my bones and did not stop until her face lit up with excitement and she fled outside the cave, I blacked out from the pain and woke up in your arms; the rest you know," she explained.

"This woman," Nieyu asked. "What did she look like?" Having found already found out who the boy and the man was she answered him.

"She wore cargo pants, a black tank top, and combat boots."

"I see, that was Suiren, don't feel so bad about losing to her, only the Mizukage is stronger than her. I am no weakling and she gave me a beating," he stated.

"Just who was she," Jinkotsu asked.

"She was Ranki's top assassin and body guard; now that she is dead the Mizukage will be easier to get to."

"Sound to me like your staging a coup," Dirk said. "You all seem like a good group of kids, so I want to know why." The four froze.

'How could we have let this slip in front of a complete stranger," they all thought simultaneously.

"Well it's not my country so I won't stop you." The two girls and Nieyu looked at Jinkotsu who looked at Haku. At Haku's nod he told Dirk what they planned.

"I see," Dirk said thoughtfully as he rubbed his shaggy beard after the explanation. "Well since it will be a while I could help you."

Foreigner shall bear Ideas

Haku heard the mysterious voice again, but did not show any outward emotion. 'What is that voice? What's going on?'

"Why would you want to help," Hari asked.

"My Emperor is a Just man, though a bit strict. When he came to power he liberated all the slaves and put down the Scarven, a bandit army led by the slaver Darwin. Anyways, he would not like to deal with someone who has his opposite views. You could say that I'm Foreign Volunteer acting on behalf of my Emperor. Speaking of the leaders, who would replace the Mizukage?" the four shinobi looked at each other before Haku answered.

"We haven't thought that far ahead."

"Do you think you will be able to through a coup without someone to immediately take command or without any followers?"

"We have plenty of money to pay mercenaries," Jinkotsu replied.

"Merc's won't do, if you want to through a rebellion you need people who aren't in it for the money," he explained. "Use the money to pay those who follow you and to arm and feed them, the hardest part about having and army is to feed your troops, I know because I was a high ranking officer."

"So we do need to rally people to our cause, but how?" Haku asked.

"What you do is target places where people are being held, free the people and offer them to join you in your quest for freedom and justice. Those that decline would be grateful to you for giving them freedom, so have them spread word of your activities without tell where you are, that way people will know you're out there, but your enemies won't," Dirk elucidated. "If you are strong enough, attack a stronghold to boost your troop's morale and unnerve your enemies. You can also cause trouble for their economy."

"Yes, we have already caused trouble at a major harbor. We through the hole place to break out in riots and gang warfare with the assassination of one of its officials," Hari said proudly.

"Good," Dirk smirked. "Cause the most amount of trouble with the least amount of work." His face suddenly got serious. "Just remember, any damage you do to the infrastructure, you will have to repair once the war is over."

"I have thought about that," Jinkotsu butted in. "How can we avoid damages to towns that we don't want to destroy or forts we lay siege to?"

"You don't, the most you can do is burn down towns that won't help you and hope that all of the refugees cause to many problems to the forts and strong holds the run to." The four ninja nodded.

"We are getting ahead of ourselves though," Haku said. "We still need to get off this Island." That said the five began making preparations for their journey off the island.

///

A single native had come back to the beach were the Out-Landers had been the day before. He watched out for the sea-demon god, its roar had scared everyone away yesterday. But he was curious. Out on the beach a single woman dressed in weird clothing laid spread out, the water lapping at her feet. He approached cautiously. The sand was still red from the woman's slit throat, but not even a scar remained, she looked like she was sleeping. The woman was quite easy on the eyes, a lot better than the village girls. Perhaps he could have his way with her the neat her corpse. The native was about to have his fun when her eyes popped open, before he could react Suiren jumped up and decapitated him, relishing in the warm blood that squirted over her face.

"That b-tch," she growled. "I'm going to F-cking kill her."

///

Next time: Escape!

As our lovable heroes try to get off the island they are attacked by the natives and Suiren tries to kill Haku.

///

A/N: well here is the next chapter; it's about 3,900 words, give or take. It didn't have a whole lot of action and did have some—I don't know what to call it, smut?—in it between Haku and Jinkotsu. I don't want anyone writing me how they are out of character, it's only the third chapter and they are still in the middle of character development. This is the first time I am seriously trying to write a relationship between two people and being a guy it's hard to write from a girl's perspective.

I find it odd how a said that I was discontinuing my other fanfiction, Naruto of the Akatsuki and yet I got six more people putting it on their favorites and alerts. Odd.

Well please review!


	4. Escape!

The Kiri Rebellion

Ch. 4 Escape!

Disclaimer: Please don't sue!

///

Three days of preparation has gone by without incident and everyone was fully recovered from their fight with Suiren. Haku and the other three shinobi learned that many of the things from downed ships, including some women's clothing for Hari while grateful, complained they were too modest and didn't have any sex appeal. Nieyu, despite his ornery side remained impassive to most things, even when he learned to play a new game from the West. Jinkotsu gave Dirk, who absorbed information like a sponge and was very thorough in his questioning for someone who claimed to not speak Japanese fluently, the run down on the Land of Water.

Haku spent most of her time sharpening her senses and inner focus. She had been very sloppy since Zabuza's death, a death she was not quite over yet. 'Zabuza, what would you think of this little so called rebellion or of Jinkotsu? I know he does not have the same values as you, but he does have a similar goal.' She shook her head; she didn't even know what she thought of him. It was almost as if she had forgotten all of her training since she met him; she would show her emotions on her face; last time she practiced throwing senbon needles she actually missed the bull's-eye, albeit by a centimeter, but if she were to miss when trying to put someone in a death-like-trance she would kill the person. And the most shocking and horribly thing was yesterday she found herself talking about shopping with Hari. Shopping!

"Haku," Jinkotsu interrupted the girl's thoughts. "Is something the matter?" The two were on the balcony again, they came out here every night to enjoy the stars and talk or think about what they would be doing once they left the island.

"What did you feel when you lost your family?"

"It was hard; my grandfather was a crotchety old man and a bit unpleasant. Both he and my father were apathetic to the people in the Land of Water and towards emotions. My mother was a little more compassionate, but still tried to keep me from feeling emotions, I thought I had it down until they were all killed. It took awhile for my grievance to pass, but it did a little. It helps to have someone listen to you."

"Did you have someone to talk to?"

"Just Datsu, he may not look or acts like it, but he is much older than the both of us together times two. When he is not eating, playing, or sleeping he listens and gives good advice." Haku wondered about it and thought back when Jinkotsu told her his story and asked her about her own past.

///Flash Back///

Jinkotsu explained his back story. "Now tell me about your past."

"I don't feel I am ready for that," Haku replied. "I… I just have… It's painful for me to think about it."

"I see," the Kaguya survivor replied with barely discernable disappointment in his voice. "I had trouble too when I lost my family, it is best not suppress you emotions. If you ever need someone to talk to I will listen." Haku nodded in acknowledgement to his offer.

"Perhaps in the future, but not know."

///End Flash Back///

The two were silent for a few minutes before Haku spoke. "My mother had a kekkei genkai and was in hiding. She married my father and I was born. We were poor but happy, for a time. We lived in a remote village in a high mountain range in the north where it snowed year long," Haku said with a small smile, but then frowned. "The first time I ever used my powers I was only five, I was excited and showed my mom who was horrified and stopped me from using it. Unfortunately she was too late, my father rallied the village men and they killed my mother in front of my eyes," tears threatening to spill out of her eyes. "I don't remember what happened next, but I woke up outside my house with several bloodied icicles protruding from my home."

"I was alone and surviving on the streets when master Zabuza found me," Haku said. "He took me under his wing, trained me, and gave me a purpose for living. Everything I know about being a ninja I learned from him." She tears slid down her porcelain face, _'I'm supposed to be a shinobi, no emotions, fighting for a master.'_

"Haku," Jinkotsu interrupted the youth's thoughts. "Don't dwell on the past, instead you must look to the future and have no regrets if you wish for happiness. Do you know what that means?" Haku slowly shook her head as she looked at him. "It means that if you think too much on the past you can never you can never move on and will be full of regrets, however that does not mean you cannot mourn those you lost or ignore what you have learned." He smiles softly as he wiped away the tears in her eyes.

"Thank you," she smiled. "But where did get that quote, a fortune cookie?"

"Calendar actually," he replied as they both chuckled. "Come on, it's getting late.

///

Two and a half days passed since Haku and Jinkotsu had their last discussion and the group was finishing their preparations at the cave when Dirk rushed in with a long sword strapped to his waist. "Problems," he said hurriedly. "The natives are coming here; it's their top ten warriors. The chief and his son are both very strong and their followers are nothing to sneeze at."

"Should we ambush them?" Inquired Nieyu, it was Hari who answered.

"No the only one who knows the terrain well enough for a successful attack would be Dirk."

"Whatever we do we need to be quick," Dirk said.

"We should attack them first, if you lead us to them we can surprise them if the wind is blowing against us," Haku suggested.

"That could work, the wind is in our favor and they are used to hunting animals, not being attacked by surprise," Dirk confirmed.

"Right then here is what we do," Haku began to form a plan and for the first time since Zabuza died feeling like a real shinobi. Their strategy was modified as they told her their abilities; they would be the ones victorious today.

///

The natives wove through the trees with practiced easy as they quickly made their way to He Who Wields Magic, or the He Who Controls Nature, or more simply Demon. They were approaching the Moving Trees when the weather went sour. Dark rain clouds formed from nowhere and heavy rains began to pour. At first they ignored the down pour, but some of them screamed out in pain as if the rain were needles and fell over as the stabbing continued.

Hari smirked from her vantage point as her Genjutsu took its effects, to the barbaric natives the weather just worsened and it was raining. The Kuniochi tossed her umbrella up after releasing her sword and did a hand sign, "Raining Shower," she whispered as dozens if not hundreds of senbon needles rained down on two of the adversaries. Their screams went unnoticed by the other eight and she quickly moved down to finish the two off.

Nieyu finished his series of hand signs and shouted, "Steam Release: Teapot Whistle," the high pressured steam enveloped the unfortunate man as high pained screams pierced the sky. Nieyu brought his cleaver like sword down on the man as he collapsed, killing him.

It was at this time the chief realized that he and his hunters where being Bewitched. The large hunter shouted something and the clouds cleared up and the Demon's Metal Stick was only a few feet from taking his head. He brought up his large spear and blocked the oncoming Metal Stick.

Dirk was a bit disappointed. Each of the shinobi had taken down either one or two of their attackers while they were in the—Genjutsu?—while he did not kill one yet. _'Well,'_ he thought, _'the bigger the fish the better.' _He continued his attack on the Big Man while keeping aware of the other fights going on. Now that the—Genjutsu?—wore off the huntsmen where fight back with animalistic furry.

The chief disappeared and reappeared behind Dirk and thrust with his spear hoping to hit the Demon in the back, instead the Demon twisted his body with enough agility to make a gazelle jealous and stabbed the chief in the shoulder. The chief had been stabbed before, but this did not feel like a regular stab wound. His shoulder burned as if hot coal was shoved in the wound, mostly cauterizing it. He snarled as he jumped back to avoid losing and arm.

///

Haku traded blows with a hunter who had a tiger's skull on the top of his head. She had hoped her hunter-nin mask—she replaced the one that broke—would scare her adversary, but he was only slightly taken aback and overcame his unease quickly. The man was unexpectedly fast and agile. She dodged a swipe of his stone knife and blocked his spear with her arm, if it weren't for the arm guards and armor she word under her kimono she would have been in trouble. She held three senbon between her fingers and was using them like improvised ninja claws. Although they were not very deadly themselves they did have poison on them from the oil off a frogs back. Three days earlier she found a poisonous, yellow and black frog and dabbed its back with some of her needles.

She dodged a stab from the man's spear and blocked his left arm as he tried to hit her with a wide swing with his knife. Wasting no movement she stabbed three needles into the hunter's unprotected ribs with strong force. One of the needles slid between his ribs and punctured a lung as the other two were stuck fast in the rib bones. The hunter dropped his spear in surprise and pain and Haku finished him off with an upper cut, driving two of the three needles through his jaws and into his brain.

///

Hari recognized the man she chose to attack. He was the one that ambushed her and beat her on her first day to the strange island. He looked at her with a mixture of disgust, hatred, and lust. She let the man's spear hit her, as it passed through her the huntsman gasped in shock. It was as if she were air. Hari slashed the man from behind, only for him to duck, spin, and thrust his spear forward and into her gut. He smiled triumphantly when she burst into water and he dodged her sword again.

Hari kept up the tactic, though she knew he would keep up with the redundancy of the attack. As long as he was focused on here there would be no problems. _'Uh-oh, spoke too soon.'_ He caught sight of her as she finished the last of the forty-two hand signs as she stood on a nearby creek. "Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique." The water rose and formed a dragon that hit the aborigine head on; though he used his arms to block he still took damage.

He growled at Hari and through his spear at her. The Kuniochi dodged it, only receiving a minor slash across her leg. Ignoring the pain she rushed the man ducked under his spear as he stabbed at her and thrust her blade into his crotch and spilt him from waist to head. "Gross," she complained, "This is why I prefer Genjutsu."

///

Nieyu was having a hard time, although he was ninja with massive chakra reserves, he was still an eleven year old genin and lacked real combat experience. His opponent, like all the other natives, was armed with a crude spear and a stone knife. It wasn't that he couldn't hit the man or dodge his strikes, it was that every time he landed a blow on the native it was shrugged off like a horse shooing away a persistent fly. The large man was easily withstanding even the steam themed Jutsus that could kill any normal human. "_This is starting to get aggravating"_ he thought. _"It's time to use _that _jutsu." _He jumped back from his opponent and landed in the middle of a stream. "Hidden Mist Jutsu," the thick fog enveloped him, spreading out ten feet in every direction, successfully hiding his movements.

The large native man, crouched in a battle ready stance, prepared for Nieyu to come out. He wasn't disappointed. However, instead of one person three charged out, one coming at him from above and the other two from the sides.

"Mist Style: Three Hidden Demons," the three shouted. The indigenous man, yelled out a battle cry and tried to engage the three, only for them to disappear as if they were never there. Surprise engulfed him as the large black sword erupted from his stomach and slid up wards, cutting him nearly in two. "Mist Style: Deception Assassination," the young ninja muttered as he wiped the blade clean.

///

Jinkotsu's opponent stared in horror as the abomination stood above him, sharp bones protruded out through bloody and torn flesh and clothes from various parts of its body. The Abomination approached the stupefied tracker and pointed at him with a hand, whispering, "Five Bone Bullet." With a sickening pop his finger bones exploded out of his fingers and ripped though the hunter.

Jinkotsu watched impassively at the finger bones blew out the native's brains. _'This was easier than I thought it would be.'_ He turned to help who ever need it as his bones slid back into his body and watched in surprise as the chief threw his spear with impressive speed and might at Dirk. _'He won't be able to dodge it!'_ to his great surprise and to chief's, the spear bounced away only two feet from Dirk as if it hit and invisible wall.

Luckily for the chief he had an extra spear and was swift to counter Dirk. Jinkotsu watched on as the other shinobi gathered around after their fight and observed the fight. The two fighters were a large blur to the ninja who could barely keep up with the speed of the two combatants if at all. The four shinobi didn't dare get too close or try to help with any jutsu, at the speed the two were moving they would just get in the way. Occasionally a fire ball would fly out of Dirks left hand and the chief, who had obviously fought Dirk before, would dodge the explosive projectile.

There was no sign of slowing down on either end until lighting shot out of Dirk finger tips and his sword burst into flames, cutting the chiefs spear like a hot knife through butter and the lighting hit the village head in the stomach, making him stumble. Using the opening, Dirk closed the distance between the two, dodged the knife thrust by turning and twirling behind the chief slashed his legs and then flipped over the chiefs back and stabbed his sword into the leader face as the man fell to his knees.

"You're fast," Jinkotsu complemented the foreigner, "Faster than anyone I have ever seen." Dirk nodded his head in acknowledgement, only slightly out of breath. "You were right; I don't think any of us could have kept up with his speed."

"It's a good thing Hari can use—genjutsu was it?—or else we would not have had such had easy time," Dirk nodded to Hari who beamed with pride. "We should rest for the remainder of the day." They agreed.

///

On the day of departure the river in the cave struggled to pull the boat away as its ropes were stretched taunt with tension. "We must cut all the ropes simultaneously and at the same time keep the ship from crashing into walls. This will be difficult."

"I can you the three tailed beast's chakra to form a protective bubble around the ship, but I will need complete concentration," Nieyu supplied his solution to keeping the ship safe.

"Very well, I will steer the ship and you three cut the ropes."

"Right."

"Leave it to me."

"It shall be done." Nieyu plotted himself on the deck, using the mast to brace himself. He made the rat hand seal and began a mantra as he made several hand signs. "Ne Tori I Inu Tatsu Ushi Tora Mi Ne Uma Saru U Hitsuji Ne Inu Tora Mi Saru Hitsuji Ushi Uma I Tori Tatsu Mi," the young boy ended his jutsu on serpent. Soon as he finished a bluish-green chakra bubble formed around the ship. Mean while the others prepared themselves and by tying ropes around their waists and kunai held ready to slash the ropes. Once the bubble was formed the ninjas and their water clones slashed through the various ropes binding the ship to its bamboo harbor.

Haku felt a thrill of excitement as the ship sped down the tunnel as fast as an arrow. Though she didn't want to admit it, it was fun. Hari was openly laughing in delight and Jinkotsu had a grim look on his face as he slowly and carefully made his way to help Dirk who was struggling with the steering of the ship. The two men got the ship under control as it shot out of the tunnel and into a flooded valley.

"Its smooth sailing from here," laughed wildly. Haku couldn't blame him, if she had been stuck here for five years with only wild animals and cannibals for company.

The rest of the morning was peaceful as they relaxed on the deck. Nieyu's gentle snores drifted in the wind and Dirk taught Hari about the different parts of the boat and their proper terms. Jinkotsu walked over to Haku who was watching the mountains and offered her a piece of fruit.

"Thank you," she graciously took the offered food. "This river is peaceful, isn't it?"

"Yeah, very calm, not at all like in the cave," he faced was scrunched up.

"Are…are you afraid of high speeds?"

"What! No, no of course I'm not." Haku's look told him she didn't buy it. "Uh, fine. I don't like moving at high speeds when I'm not the one doing it, running is fine, but boats or carriages are out of my control." Haku nodded in understanding, she really couldn't blame him.

"So what are going to do when we get back? Nieyu says he took care of Kojima."

"Yeah, I was thinking about that. Dirk was telling be that we should disrupt as many trade routes as possible and use propaganda. I don't know about you, but I think Dirk is much older and experienced than he looks."

"I know what you mean, his eyes kind of remind me of an old man I once meet, wise and knowing. But we're getting off topic, what do we do about the trade routes? I don't know them do you."

"Honestly, no I don't know them."

"I do," Hari said from behind them. She had an ashamed look on her face. "I…I haven't been completely honest with you, I originally join for profiteering. When I assassinated Dokyun I stole $700,000 and various records on buyers, sellers, and trade routes for both land and water with the intention of selling them." Red shamed face was down turned to study the deck.

"I see, and what happened to these records," Jinkotsu's face stony. Hari lifted and sleeve and whispered.

"Kai," as she did a large tattoo appeared. She bit her thumb and wiped it across her arm. With a loud poof a large red and green scroll popped into existence. He handed it to the Kaguya survivor.

"Nieyu wake up," he said as he walked up to the ships wheel next to Dirk. The three ninja followed him. He opened the scroll and took out its contents with his chakra.

"Whoa, that's quite a find." Nieyu said. "Dokyun wasn't a high official so he probably had these illegally, not that that should be a surprise."

"Yeah, but there is no way we can control or disrupt the trade, there are way too many routes and we are only five people," Dirk glanced at the map with the trade routes. "Taking care of buyers and sellers won't be as hard, but we need time and resources for that."

"I think I know where we can get the people at." Nieyu said. "The Chigatana Pirates sometimes hire themselves out. They constantly prey on Kiri boats, the intelligence squad thinks there are about seven ships and are lead by the self proclaimed Queen of the Sea Unabara Kouka. They are sort of unlawful freedom fighters, if that make sense to you," the demon jailer explained. "They have only been around a couple of years and have sunk a number of ships, but not enough to do any lasting damage or to warrant the Mizukage's attention."

"That could work, however, you don't know where they are, do you," Dirk thought aloud.

"Uh, yeah, nobody knows where they are at."

"Anyways, we now have a map and a list of important people with their pictures and locations, this will be a great help in the beginning," Haku observed. "We can do some real damage before they know what is going on."

"Hari," Jinkotsu spoke suddenly, causing the Kuniochi to jump. "Thank you for coming clean."

"Thank you for accepting my confession."

"Rapids ahead," Dirk shout cut the shinobi off from any further chatter. "Once where through we will only be a few minutes until we are out at sea." Jinkotsu put away the scroll and contents as the rest braced themselves.

Haku tied herself to the railing and like in the cave she felt a thrill of excitement and felt sorry for Jinkotsu. The swells and dips in the river splashing water up on the ship and spraying her with mist felt good in the hot sun. The ship continued to buck, dip, and heave through the rapids. They ended so suddenly that Haku momentarily wondered if they hit something as she jerked forward a bit.

"Ladies and gentlemen wave goodbye to Island Paradise," Dirk laughed as they entered the small delta and the weird purple ocean and its thick fog off in the distance came into view. "So long and thank you for all the fish," Dirk laughed at the island behind him. His smile dropped suddenly and he shouted something in his native language. "Suiren's right behind us!" His warning came just in time. The Mist assassin leapt into the air and slashed the space where Haku had been seconds before, cutting the rope that was tied around her waist.

Suiren wasted no movements. As soon as she landed she pushed off with her feet and shoulder rammed Haku with enough force to cause them both tumbled of the large boat.

"Haku," Hair and Jinkotsu yelled.

"Don't worry about me, just go," she shouted to them. "What does it take to kill you?" She questioned the older female as she put her hunter-nin mask back on. Without answering her, Suiren attacked with animalistic furry, pressing Haku back as she tried to defend herself from the steel claws. The two were a mix of arms and legs as they tried to finish the other one off. "Water Style: Sharks Bite," a large water and chakra shark bit Suiren legs as she stabbed Haku side and slashed out, ripping through her flesh and armor. Haku cried out in pain and Suiren destroyed the shark and delivered a powerful high kick to the younger woman's chest. Clutching her side, vainly trying to stop the bleeding, Haku used her on occupied hand to make several hand signs. "Arctic Wind," the cold wind froze the water spots on Suiren and she began to sink. Haku used this to create an ice mirror behind her and one on the ship. Climbing in she jumped to the ship that was now reaching the barrier fog.

She leaned heavily on the aft railing on the ship and was relieved she escaped. Suddenly a rope wrapped around her through and a heavy knife like pin dug into her shoulder and she was pulled off the boat.

"She's got a damn jouhyou," Hari cried in dismay. "We'll never get her back in time," she shouted as the bow of the ship entered the fog barrier. Jinkotsu leapt past her on to the railing; shot bullets out of his fingers that tore through Suiren's hand and did the most disturbing thing any of them had ever seen. He ripped out his own spine. Using his chakra the bloody vertebrae separated and extended like and wrapped around Haku, acting much like a snake-sword. He jerked his arm back and caught her bridal style.

Suiren cursed at them and the last thing she saw of the m was Jinkotsu's cold and angry face before the fog swallowed them. She was about to make a move when a gigantic tentacle burst out of the water and wrapped around her before dragging her down to the depths of the strange ocean.

///

As soon as the merged into the fog they emerged into a night filled sky and the water off in the distance was a large stream of silver light in the water and they spotted a white sail boat and a large creature chasing it. "It's us," Hari said in shock. Jinkotsu turned around and watched in surprise.

"So time flows differently there," Haku said weakly as she spotted their—past?—selves. She coughed up blood that was blocked by her white mask.

"Don't talk, save your strength. Hari come help me," without waiting to see if he was being followed he took Haku downstairs and placed her on a bed. "Rest now, I'm going to bandage you up." Once Hari joined him they removed Haku's kimono and her mask. They cleaned the horrific wound and wrapped her up. "Try to sleep. I'll be here if you need anything. Hari go and inform the others of Haku's condition."

A few minutes later the other came down. "We have anchored here for tonight," Dirk said. "Let me see Haku's wounds, I can stop the external bleeding." Jinkotsu reluctantly unwrapped Haku's stomach and let Dirk examine it. The older man gently placed a hand over Haku and began moving his hand over the wound as the skin melded itself. Once he was done he sat down on anther hammock, panting as if he had just run a marathon. "Healing was never my strong point," he panted. "She is still in danger of dying."

"We should take her to the Temple of Water, it is hidden from the government and the prissiest there are renowned for their healing abilities," Nieyu said. "They are about six days from here."

"Good we'll set sail in the morning," Jinkotsu said.

///

Next time: The Fighting Healing Priestess's

Haku's condition continues to grow worse as Jinkotsu desperately tries to find the priestess's of the Temple of Water, but their Temple had been destroyed!

///

Chigatana—Bloody Sword—the Chigatana Pirates are a group of "Freedom Fighters" that attack Mist ships and act as mercenaries if the pay is good enough.

Unabara—(1) Ocean; Sea (2) the deep

Kouka—Crimson mist—Unabara Kouka is the self proclaimed Queen of the Sea and is the "Admiral" of the Chigatana Pirates.

///

A/N There done. I took forever writing this, I wanted to put it up during spring break, but I was having a hard time with the fight scene with the natives. I hope you enjoy it. On another note I am looking for a beta, someone to correct my grammar mistakes, I don't know how betaing works so any help is appreciated.

In this chapter Dirk says something taken out of a book, if you can guess the quote and the book I'll send you a cyber cookie!

Here is something new I am starting at the end of each chapter from now on.

Did You Know That…?

…Gaara's apprentice Matsuri is a year older than him?

…the Third Hokage's name is Hiruzen Sarutobi?

…beer is liquid bread and is good for you?

///

I hope you enjoyed this chapter and please leave a review saying what you thought about it!


	5. The Water Temple Prietesses

The Kiri Rebellion

Ch. 5 The Temple of Waters Priestess's

Disclaimer: if you sued me, you'd probably lose money. Yeah, I'm that poor.

A/N: I forgot to post it last chapter, but the mantra that Nieyu was going on about was actually the names of the twelve standard shinobi hand signs, you can find them with their translations as well as what they look like here .com/wiki/Hand_seals.

**P.S. can anyone refer me to a Beta reader? Grammar is not my forte and I would like some help with sentence structure.**

Enjoy the chapter!

///

The next six days were agony for the crew. Haku's condition continued to degrade and was constantly tossing and turning in a restless sleep. With Nieyu's guidance and Hari on lookout duty Dirk sailed on through most nights without sleep. They had past several islands, but none of them were the abode of Temple of Water that allegedly housed priestess with the healing powers that rivaled even the Legendary Sannin Tsunade. It was relief when they finally spotted the island. It was about ten square miles and possessed a cluster of tall mountains covered in forest not-unlike those found in the Land of Fire.

They found an empty dock and moored the ship with thick ropes. Jinkotsu made a somewhat disturbing yet necessary stretcher for Haku out of two spinal columns and several humerus bones he generated along with a spare sail canvas. "Gently now," he said as he and Dirk carefully lowered Haku onto the impromptu stretcher. They made their way on to the dock, careful not to jostle Haku. "Nieyu, lead on." They traveled in silence up the rough hewn dirt path. There were several roads that split off with no signs telling where they went to, but apparently Nieyu knew where to go as he traveled and turned with absolute certainty.

What seemed like several hours, but it couldn't have been more than two, they finally reached the top of a flat rectangular plateau, oddly enough, and was greeted by a once beautiful ziggurat like temple surrounded by shattered stone walls with various broken water fountains that continued to pour out into the now mud and created a swampish like floor and spilled over two of the edges of the plateau like the great waterfalls. One great Iron Gate stood dented in and blacked while the other was crumpled and tossed to the side like tin foil. From atop of their stone platform—the side they came up turned into stone steps and was higher than any other side of the plateau—each person voiced their thoughts.

"What happened?" Nieyu cried in dismay.

"Who or what can do that to an Iron Gate," Dirk wondered.

"Why would someone attack a temple?" Hari was surprisingly upset.

"Crap," Jinkotsu cursed. _'Now what are we going to do for Haku.'_

"We should set up base camp away from here incase who or what ever did this comes back," Dirk said, his years of experience kicking in. "From there we will have two people guard Haku and the camp while the other two look for survivors." Quickly and silently they made their way towards another mountain where they found a hidden grove with a view of most of the valley and the Temple several hours later. "Hari and I should stay on guard here, I have some skills in first aid and Hari has a gentler touch than either of you two. Nieyu, since you the lay of the land better than Jinkotsu, take him where you think survivors must have retreated to, safe houses and the like."

"Right," the two ninja speed off in a direction that Dirk assumed was where Nieyu thought there might be a safe house. "Hari, we should try to make the space as comfortable as possible, there is now telling how long we will be here."

///

Nieyu bit his lip in worry as he headed towards the Sanctuary of the Water Goddess. It was a holy place to those who followed the Way of Manamiko, the water goddess of love, beauty, fertility, and life giving water. It was a well hidden place where people who wished to bless their child or hide in times of strife could go. If that place was raided he did not know where to go.

"Nieyu," the sound of his older companion snapped the boy from his thoughts. "Any idea what could do that to the temple? There was much devastation, but no bodies or any blood that I could see."

"I noticed that as well and I'm sure Dirk has too. I am hoping no one was killed and that they are all still on the island. If not they may have been taken alive to be used for their healing prowess."

"And what of the creature that caused the damage?" Nieyu was silent for several moments before answering with uncertainty.

"I have heard rumors of another Jinchuriki who housed the Six-Tailed Beast in the Land of Water. Whether he or she is apart of Kirigakure I don't know."

"Another Jinchuriki," Jinkotsu gasped in shock. While he was strong he didn't fancy facing a Jinchuriki, even if he already had one as a teammate. "I thought each nation only had one."

"Kumogakure, Iwagakure, and now I suppose Kirigakure all have two Jinchuriki. Sunagakure and Takigakure both only have one. I don't know about Konohagakure," he informed Jinkotsu.

"What do you mean about Konohagakure?"

"As you should know, the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox attacked them about twelve-and-a-half years ago. The Fourth Hokage supposedly killed the fox with a suicide jutsu. I don't know if it's true, I find it hard to believe a creature made of pure chakra can die, but I don't think any of the other nations have heard about them having a Jinchuriki or having the Biju sealed away. Any country that does have Jinchuriki lets it be known publicly as to scare way invaders. Maybe Konoha is keeping him or her secrete so it will be surprise when the Kyūbi wipes out a rival village in the name of the Hidden Leaf," Nieyu explained his uncertainty about Konohagakure to the Kaguya.

The two continued on in silence watching for any sign of the attacker or survivors. They traveled until near dark when they finally came upon an ivory white archway built into a mountain. "In hear, this is the only place I know where they might be," Nieyu said as he cautiously dropped to the ground and entered with Jinkotsu only a few steps behind him. They walked down a dark corridor with no light. "Something's not right, the Hall of the Goddess should always be well lit," the small boy said as they came into a large chamber filled with water, it reminded Jinkotsu of a western style swimming pool, only that there was a walk way that lead to a large alter in the center of the pool and the surface of water glowed, casting strange shadows upon the pillars that lined each side of the pool and the walls behind. At the far end there stood a marble statue thirty feet tall of a beautiful woman in all her naked glory.

"This is creepy," Jinkotsu and Nieyu muttered at the same time.

"There is no trace of any one here. Wait, what's that," Nieyu pointed towards and object floating in the water. As they got closer they saw it was a corpse of a young girl in a white dress, her throat slit, but with no blood. Slowly more and more corpses floated from under the water with the same slit throat. Each girl and woman face was eerily calm with wide unblinking stares that seemed to follow the two shinobi where ever they walked. Their hair and white dresses splayed across the water like a lion in the Great Plains.

Nieyu didn't recognize any of their faces, but he knew they were priestesses by the design of their white dresses. "What…what happened, where are the bodies coming from?" He asked as they reached the altar. More dead bodies rose from the dark abyss in the pool into the glowing light of the surface, soon there where close to a hundred bodies when suddenly they all blinked their big black eyes.

"Huraaah," their ghastly shriek froze the two in their place and each corpse stood up at the exact same time with with unnatural grace and faced the two. They began to shuffle towards the two shinobi and suddenly as if by magic every candle in the room lit up. The shock of the sudden brightness brought the two to their senses.

"Let's get the Hell out of here!" Jinkotsu shouted as the two of them turned around on the walkway they ran towards the tunnel and abruptly stopped. There in the middle of the entrance stood a young man no older than seventeen wearing a blue robe and a red sash. In the V of his robe near his waist rested a green scroll like canister with a straw sticking out of it—the two ninja had a feeling it wasn't water. The adolescent head was bowed and his eyes closed and he blew into a reed like musical instrument and a several large bubbles pooled out of it.

"Who…who are you," Nieyu demanded. The stranger lifted his head and lightly flicked a stray black hair way from his eyes as he opened them. His eyes were not those of a human. They were bestial and feral. He whispered one word, but it was a loud enough to have been a shout.

"Heretics." The zombie women moaned and surged forward towards the two shinobi as a powerful aurora surrounded the strange man.

///

Hari washed Haku's sweating forehead with a wet rag with concern. Haku was the first person to treat her with respect and kindness. She trusted Hari and did not show contempt when she revealed she had stolen so much money and information at Jinshinbaibai. She also accepted her and her personality quirks with quiet humor, even if some of what Hari said embarrassed her. Haku and also shown worry for Hari's well being and Jinshinbaibai while Jinkotsu only saw her as a tool and not a human being even though he had congratulated her on the success of the mission. In short, Haku was the first friend that Hari ever had. Back in Amegakure life had been harsh under the tyrannical reign of Hanzō of the Salamander. "Is there anything we can do for her?" she asked Dirk who was outside the girl's tent. "She is burning up with fever."

"Hmn, I'm going to go wet some cloth at the river, I need you to strip her down to her under garments. I don't know if her fever will go down, but we can slow its increase," Dirk said as he walked out of the grove towards a small creek they had discovered roughly fifty feet from camp. She began to ever so gently remove Haku's clothes until only her bloodied bandages and underwear remained. She had just finished folding Haku's clothing into a neat pile when Dirk came back with five cold wet cloths. He came inside and placed two fabrics between her thighs, one under each armpit, and the final on her forehead.

"It would be nice if we had two more for her wrists, but this will have to do," he said.

"What is the purpose of the wet cloth?"

"There is lots of blood flow in the places I put the wet fabric. The cold water should cool down the blood and thus bring down her body temperature and fever." The two sat in silence as they watched Haku's chest rise and fall with labor, each with their own worries. Finally Dirk stood up and said, "I'm going to keep a look out, let me know if her condition changes," and left.

Hari watched Haku for some time and decided to do something shad not in a long time. She prayed. It had been nearly five years since she prayed to a Kami-sama or any other deity. She was in the middle of prayer when Dirk busted in with his sword drawn and bloodied.

"Hari, take Haku and flee," he commanded. "The enemy is here." The rain kuniochi made a shadow clone and each picked up one end of Haku's stretcher after putting a heavy blanket on her to keep the elements away and left the tent. Dirk watched and smirked evilly as he turned and saw his replica lying next to a tree with his blood spilling out of his gut. "Heretic's," 'Dirk' sneered.

///

Jinkotsu hacked and slashed with his humerus made swords. He was being swamped by the living dead as they clawed, scratched, bite, punched, and kicked. At first it was easy to hold them off, but as soon as one fell two would take its place and the fallen ones would get right back up after thirty seconds or so. They were much faster then earlier and moved as fast as an experience Jonin. Jinkotsu risked a glance at Nieyu, the boy wasn't fairing off much better and the two of them were slowly but surely being separated further and further apart. "Nieyu, try and make you way to me," he called and was immediately kicked in the back of the knees and went under a mass of bodies.

"Jinkotsu! Damn it, just hold on!" the young Jinchuriki began to call upon the three tails power. While it was true that the full power of the Three –Tails was best used in very deep water, calling upon the power of just one tail would not be hampered on dry land. A silhouette of a chakra made turtle shell and shrimp like tail enveloped Nieyu and a hard shell erupted from his back and his skin became a green, tough-leathery, substance. As soon as he did all the zombie priestesses backed off to the edges of the sanctuary. Confusion contorted Nieyu's face as he was surrounded by hundreds of bubbles. He tapped one with his sword and KABOOM!

///

Hari kept up a steady pace when the whole ground shook and off in the distance a large chunk of mountain blew apart and the night sky was light up in a giant fireball. _'That's the direction the other two ran off in,"_ she thought with worry. She heard a sound of metal being drawn and her clone was immediately killed. The sudden loss of one person holding up the front of the stretcher caused Haku to fall and tumble out from under her blanket. Her wounds opened back up, undoing all that Dirk had done for her earlier that week. "Hak…ugh," Hari collapsed as pain erupted in her lower back she dimly looked down and saw a purple blade sticking out of her lower abdomen. Thwack! Murky dark blackness took Hari as someone bashed her upside the head.

///

Tassha finished with her last patient and stood up. She looked at the five men and woman and pursed her lips. They obviously had come to the Water Temple on their own free will looking for healing, but what struck her as odd was how they knew its location. She had watched them through her glass ball while looking for the Temple's attackers. The small boy had obviously known where to go, but the question was how? The Temple was hidden from the public, only another Priestess could lead someone to there. And they were the second group to mysteriously know where to look for them. "Well at least they don't seem to be hostile," the sixty year old woman muttered to herself. She walked along the hospital like room and gazed at the boy. _"He looks so familiar, like a face I haven't seen in decades. Damn my memory,"_ she thought. She walked out of the room and gently closed the door. She walked down the corridor to another room and entered. There was four more Priestess waiting in there for her. They were only ones to have survived the attack out of one hundred and fifty three. _"My poor daughters,"_ Tassha lamented.

"Mother," a dark haired girl asked, "How are they?"

"They are fine for now Daughter Mitsuko. There conditions have stabilized."

"Any idea on how they knew where to look Mother," another dark hair girl older than the first asked.

"I think I may, but my memory is not what it once was," Tassha explained to her Daughters how the boy looked so familiar. She sat down with weary tiredness. "I'm getting to old for this," she muttered.

"Summoning the King of Hell really took a lot out of you," a pretty blue-eyed blond said. "Why did you bring them back to life when it is such a strain on your body?"

"A feeling Shoushi, a feeling," Tassha whispered as she closed her eye and promptly fell asleep.

///

Haku woke feeling completely rejuvenated, she could not remember the last time she felt so good. She slowly opened her eyes and viewed her surroundings, she was in a white hospital room at the far end o the room; she could vaguely make out five other beds. She then noticed that there were no windows. _"What kind of hospital doesn't have any windows?"_ she asked herself. She slowly sat up and realized she wasn't wearing any clothes at all. With a small "eep," she brought the bed sheet up to cover her ample breast. She got out of bed and peeked at the other inhabitants in the room, they were her teammates. With the sheet wrapped around her important parts she checked each one. Jinkotsu was across from her and Hari next to her own bed with Dirk across from her and Nieyu next to Dirk. Nieyu was closest to the door. They were all fine and bandaged up. _"I wonder what happened to them,"_ she wondered with concern, though if someone were to see her face they would only see a cool calculating young woman.

Haku walked back to her bed and looked for some clothes, she really didn't mind if Hari woke up and saw her, they were both girls after all, but she didn't want to be caught naked standing over one of men or the young boy. That would just be awkward. She found a small nightstand next to her bed and she opened it up and found a beautiful white dress robe and a sleeveless blue happi with a white crest that remained Haku of Kakashi's Sharingan. She frown, there were no bandage wraps to wrap around her breast to make them smaller. She quickly stole a glance and Jinkotsu before looking back at her clothes. "Well…I suppose I don't _really_ need them," if someone were to ask if that was because of Jinkotsu she would have immediately denied

"Oh, you're a wake," Haku spun around and reached for senbon needles she didn't have. The young woman at the door squeaked in surprise. She wore a clean pressed white kimono and had pretty blue eyes and blond hair. In her had she held a tray of food. She walked in and four more identical girls walked in.

"Shadow Clones," Haku stated. "Am I at a shinobi hospital?"

"No, you're at a temple, the Temple of Water to be exact."

"What happened to my comrades?" The Priestess shook her head.

"You'll have to ask them the oldest man is a wake right now?"

"How did you know?" Dirk asked as he slowly propped himself up. "No matter, well I guess we reached our destination, though not in the way we wanted or expected."

"What happened," Haku asked.

"Well when you were stabbed by the psycho Nieyu told us of the Temple of Water that had Priestess that could rival some gal named Tsunade in the healing arts. When we got there the place was in ruins. We set up a base camp and Hair and I stayed by your side while Jinkotsu and Nieyu went to look for the Priestess. While I checking the perimeter I felt a sharp pain in my stomach and I woke up here. The end," he finished as if he just told a great epic.

"What happened to Suiren?"

"Psycho with blades?" he asked. "She got left behind. Though when we made out of the fog we saw you guys enter the fog being chased by Nieyu, kinda weird. For you guys you lost no time," he finished quietly with a thoughtful frown as he crossed him arms. Haku had a feeling that he was thinking about his family and being away for five or more years. She didn't know how long it was since he had set sail before he was ship wreaked at the island.

The Priestess stayed silent the whole time watching them with interest. Finally she said, "Here have some chicken broth, you both have been through a lot." She set her tray on the small metal table next to Haku's bed, the girls shadow clones long since gone. "If you like I can show you around, you seem to be full of energy."

"Sure, that would be nice," Haku agreed. Dirk said something like "Meh um aber," Haku assumed it was 'See you later," it was hard to tell with a mouth full of bread and broth. Haku put on a pair of white tabi (A/N: traditional Japanese socks) and geta. (A/N: traditional Japanese sandals) Haku learned the fair eyed Priestesses name was Shoushi during her small tour. Shoushi showed Haku a small shrine dedicated to Manamiko, in the shrine was a glittering white katana that Shoushi said was the Sword of Manamiko and that only those worthy of it could wield it. Haku met three of Shoushi's "Sisters."

After a few hours Haku was shown to a bedroom with and extra set of clothes like hers as well as an ANBU mask and several hundred senbon needles bunched up and placed on a senbon vest. Senbon vest were skin-tight vest that could hold up to five hundred needles on a small one and up to eight hundred on a large vest. The one on Haku's bed was a custom made one, since even a small one was too big for her. Haku picked up the vest and judged there to be about four hundred needles. She glanced at the mask and realized it was an exact replica of the one Naruto broke. She turned to Shoushi. "How did you know?" Shoushi smiled mysteriously.

"You are Haku, the Demon's Apprentice are you not?" she answered and slowly faded away as if a spirit finally passing on to the next dimension. Haku watched the spot that the blond girl disappeared from.

"Interesting," she commented. The ice kuniochi suddenly felt her energy sap way and drowsiness set in. The last thing she heard when she crawled in bed was the powerful woman's voice.

SLEEP MY CHILD

///

Jinkotsu groggily woke up and saw an angel in white standing above him. "I died?" he asked. _"Damn,"_ he thought irratbly. The angel giggled.

"No quite," the voice sounded familiar. Recognition registered in Jinkotsu's mind as he bolted up.

"Haku! You're awake," he said with surprise.

"She's not the only one," Hari called out from a bed kitty-corner to his. "You're the last one up sleepy-head."

"Welcome back to the land of the living sleeping beauty, now maybe we can get some sleep now that you're not snoring like a grizzly bear," Dirk greeted.

"Wait, where Nieyu we were attacked and," Haku interrupted the Kaguya.

"We know, he's safe, he just went out to go to the restroom. Now if you can move we can find out where we're at and what happened." Jinkotsu nodded and abruptly got out of bed. Haku blushed, Hari looked at him like she was impressed and Dirk snorted.

"You're not wearing any clothes," Nieyu said as he entered through the door.

"Ah crap," Jinkotsu cursed as he pulled his sheet to cover his man hood. "Uh, ladies can you turn away until I get dressed?"

"Your clothes are in the nightstand," Hari said with a smirk. She made no efforts to turn way, unlike Haku. Dirk decided to help out the teen by holding up the sheet so that there was a cloth wall from his waist down.

"Thank you," Jinkotsu muttered with as much dignity as possible, which isn't much when a guy, a girl and a boy where laughing at him. _"At least Haku has sum manners," _he thought with embarrassment.

"Can I turn around now or are you still streaking?"

_"Spoke too soon, nice time to develop a sense of humor Haku,"_ he thought, his face turning even redder. Once he got dressed a pretty blue eyed young woman came in and greeted them.

"It's good to see your all wake, now if you follow me Mother Tassha would like a word with you," she turned and left, not waiting for them to follow. They caught up easily and followed her to a nice and comfortable sitting room where there were three other adolescent girls and an elderly woman where all sitting on fine rugs and pillows.

"Greetings and welcome to what remains of the Temple of Water, may Manamiko smile upon you. I only wish we could have meet under better circumstance during better days. I am Tassha and these are my Daughters," Tassha introduced her Daughters. "Please sit and drink tea, we have much to discuss."

"Mother Tassha," Nieyu asked, "What happened here? Where is Mother Sakura?"

"Mother Sakura? Why she died nearly fifteen years ago towards the end of the Third Great Shinobi War. How does someone as young as you know her," Tassha asked with confusion. Nieyu face registered shock.

"Fif…fifteen years ago?" he asked, more to himself than anyone else. "But I remember her last year," he argued.

"Last year…. OH!" she suddenly cried out. "You're the Three-Tailed Jinchuriki Nieyu, that's why you look familiar! This explains so much!"

"What, you're not making any sense, I never met you before," the boy said.

"No, you haven't, but you will. In time you will know. Now we must not discuss this any further, **do you understand!**"

"Um…not really, but okay," he looked at her as if she lost her marbles, as did everyone else in the room.

"As for what happened here, we were attacked by six shinobi of unbelievable powers. Especially the boy with the bubbles, he blew down our gates as if they were nothing," she shuddered. "They immediately called us heretics and began a massacre for no reason. How they knew our religion or location," she shook her head. "We did all we could to get away from them, you see, none of us are fighters except for myself and Shoushi ; and I am much too old and Shoushi has no real combat experience in a life or death situation. For six days they have been looking for survivors when you showed up, that was two days ago."

"Heretics huh," Dirk said. "Now that I think about it that was the last thing I heard before I was stabbed. How can someone sneak up on someone and just assassinate a person without being noticed?"

"That is what shinobi are for," Haku said, "To kill without being seen or heard."

"Scary," Dirk said with a thoughtful frown as he crossed his arms.

"I would like to hear your stories," Tassha said. "Such as why are you no longer traveling with your Master," she looked at Haku.

"He…he died," she choked out. She still was having a hard time forgetting her surrogate father. She then proceeded to tell her story from when she left the Naruto Bridge and how she came across each of her teammates. At the end of her tale she said. "Now how much do you know of these enemy shinobi?"

///

Next time: Counterattack!

Haku learns of the enemy shinobi and begins to formulate a plan to kill the hostile shinobi.

///

Manamiko—Love/affection, beauty/ocean, child—the goddess of love, beauty, the ocean, and fertility, she is worshipped by the Water Priestesses

Tassha—Good health—an old Priestess that is said to bring back the dead, she is the Head of the Water Temple and is thus called Mother, all others are her "Daughters"

Shoushi—(1)Life and death (2) samsara [the cycle of life and death] (3) Death

///

A/N: Well here is another chapter well done, if I do say so myself; though it is most likely filled with grammar mistakes. I am sorry it took so long to get out. I have been busy with first college finals and then job hunting. I finally found the time and motivation to finish this chapter and hopefully I will have the next one out soon.

There is something that I forgot to mention, Suiren is based off a Marvel comic and Dirk is based off an organization from a book series (it will become more obvious in time) if you can guess who and which organization I'll give you something nice. Like a hug…yeah…a hug.

Did you know…?

…That Deidra is the youngest Akatsuki member, dieing at age 19?

…Yahiko thought Nagato's name was Tiny when they first met?

…Kakashi did not father himself and even has a mother?


	6. Counterattack!

**The Kiri Rebellion**

**Chapter 6**

**Counterattack**

Summary: You should know it by now.

Disclaimer: I still don't own Naruto and I'm still not making any money. Damn.

///

Haku looked down from atop the ziggurat, "Hiding in plain sight, how clever," she mused to herself. The survivors of the attack on the Temple of Water had retreated deep into the plateau through a hidden passage way in the stairs of the ziggurat. As of now she tending a signal fire, not to call for help the help that the smoke was calling for, but to lure the hostile ninja into their trap. Hopefully it would work. According to Tassha the shinobi attacked with reckless abandon with no strategy. _"Quite different from our encounter,"_ Haku thought. But then again they enemy thought that Haku and her companions were dead, and even if they knew otherwise they would be cocky and arrogant since their victory in the last encounter. _"I'll kill them all myself if I have to,"_ she thought. Movement caught her eye down near the gates. "They have come. Those must be the zombies that Jinkotsu and Nieyu were talking about," she muttered under her breath when she spotted several of the walking dead sneaking in. Haku continued to man the fire, pretending she didn't see them coming. Suddenly she jumped away from the fire as three kunai knives hit where she had been standing and the letter bombs attached erupted.

"You're pretty good little Priestess," a red haired kuniochi in her middle twenties applauded. The kuniochi reminded Haku of a street side prostitute. "Now Heretic, die for you Heresy," she screamed. As Haku continued to evade the letter bomb kunai knives she took out her mask from her white kimono and placed it on. "Ooo, an ANBU mask does the likkle girlie girl think that will protect her from Hell," prostitute kuniochi sneered. Haku ignored the taunt and kept silent, studying the woman. "I don't know how you still alive likkle girlie girl, but this time I'll make sure you stay dead," this time she through shuriken that exploded on contact. "Likkle girlie girl not like boom booms?" she mocked. Her eyes widened when the smoke cleared an a broken half melted sculpture greeted her. Before she could retaliate three senbon needles stuck her in the throat, severing and artery and permanently damaging her voice box. She tried to stop the bleeding as Haku appeared below her and kick the prostitute kuniochi in the air and down the stairs where she landed on her head and rolled all the way down.

The zombie women stopped all pretense of sneaking in and rushed at Haku, but then the water they were wading through began to boil very rapidly and the steam rose, obscuring Haku from view. The water boiled for ten minutes and when the steam cleared the women were so disfigured and broken they could not get up no matter how the struggled. Whoever was animating them gave up as they collapsed and just floated in the hot water. But that was unnoticed as Haku and the rest were quickly engaging survivors. It began to rain and hard as a young ninja engaged Hari. "Heretic," he yelled at her. For an answer she drew her sword and tossed up her umbrella. As the umbrella lifted into the air Hari attacked with slashes and thrusts. The boy retreated up a tree when he heard the tell-tale sound of projectiles coming at him. He looked at the rapidly spinning umbrella shooting needles at him. "Screw this," he yelled as he ran off with the umbrella tracking him with the needles hot on his heels. Hari sweat dropped.

"Okay…"

///

Jinkotsu and Nieyu were chasing kuniochi through the trees with dogged persistence. She kept leaving paper bombs, makibishi spikes under the cover of smoke bombs. "This woman is getting annoying," Nieyu growled.

"I never thought ninja battles would be this hard," Jinkotsu muttered under his breath.

"What?"

"Oh, you heard that? Including the skirmishes with Suiren, I have only been in seven actual ninja battles, I don't have a lot of experience," Jinkotsu explained with embarrassment.

"But you always go on like you know everything," Nieyu replied.

"That's just book smarts, not experience."

"…well, we're screwed," Jinkotsu snorted at Nieyu deadpan.

"Well I think this is far enough, I'm going head her off. You remember what to do right?" Nieyu nodded. With that Jinkotsu sped up and to the fleeing kuniochi until he was only a few feet off to her left. "Palm Shot Spike," a narrow foot-and-a-half long spike shot out of his right palm causing the kuniochi to dodge and speed off through the trees in a weaving pattern.

"You damn Heretics," she yelled out behind to the two male shinobi. "Kami-sama shall tear you asunder." In her fit of rage she didn't notice the preset wires. With a loud twang, several dozen kunai knives shot out at her, making her jump into the air and into the path of a large branch covered in long sharpened sticks and shorter brick shaped branches. _"I can't dodge,"_ she realized in horror as it hit her with a sickening wet crunch.

Jinkotsu and Nieyu observed their handy work. "Wow, Dirk sure does know some pretty gruesome traps," the bone user observed.

"She is still alive, we didn't hit her vitals," Nieyu observed. "But her bones are broken. She won't be going anywhere any time soon." The two remembered what Dirk said about the trap.

_FLASHBACK_

"The spikes will normally finish someone off, but occasionally it misses the vitals and the victim can scamper off, especially if it's a ninja, I noticed you guys are pretty clever and have a high pain tolerance. That is why there blunt logs are placed there. The momentum will have enough force to break bones so that the prey doesn't run off and you have to go track it down."

"You make it sound like the victims are animals," Haku observed.

"You're right, this trap was origianly used for large game such a bears or tigers."

_END FLASHBACK_

"Common lets go find the bastard the blew us up," Jinkotsu said the two speed off, leaving the dying kuniochi. She whimpered has a crow landed on the branch and cawed. It was the last thing she saw, but not the last thing she felt as more carnivorous and scavenger animals gathered.

///

"Heretic, you shall die," the shinobi running along the trees called down to Dirk as he was only a few feet behind him running along the ground.

"If you're going to kill me turn around and face me you backstabbing coward," Dirk had matched the old man's voice to the one that had stabbed in the back a few days ago.

"You will die how I choose for you to die Heretic," he was in the middle of a jutsu when a fire head sized fire balls flew past him and exploded with enough force to knock him backwards and out of the trees. He howled a wordless scream of pain as one of the fire balls and been closed enough when it exploded to catch the right side of his face on fire. He quickly pulled his cloak up to his burning flesh and smothered the fire while trying to fend of Dirk's sword with a large kunai knife. Once the flame was out he began to fight back hard. Using his high speed he kept trying to get behind Dirk. "You bastard I'll show you not to mess with," he was cut off and Dirk's sword got through the old man's defense. "How, you're not even a shinobi," he collapsed to the ground.

"No, I am Dragon Guardian," with a swish of his blade he decapitated the downed shinobi. _"These shinobi don't seem to be as much of a threat as before, I wonder if something was influencing them."_ Dirk looked at the corpse and wondered if it had been a different shinobi that stabbed him when this one called him a heretic. "Best not to dawdle," he said before speeding off faster than when he was chasing the ninja.

///

Haku had two ninja's facing her one dressed in your average Jonin uniform while the other wore civilian clothing and silver sunglasses. "You bitch, you killed Aiko," one snarled at her. The one that spoke charged in and engaged Haku in Taijutsu while Sunglasses began his hand seals for long rang attacks. The Taijutsu man used mostly wide powerful kicks in his attacks with the occasional punch. Haku and the Taijutsu danced back and forth trying to hit one another when Sunglasses finished.

"Wind Style: Grass Scythe," the wind blew hard, picking up dozens of blades of grass and blew and Haku, they hit and tore through her body and any tree in the way was if they were a hot knife through butter. Haku blew apart as her wind clone exploded with hundred-mile-per-hour winds. It threw Taijutsu to the ground and Haku landed on him from above, using her knee to break his femur bone. His pained scream was cut short as his partner hit them both trying to kill Haku. "Urk," Sunglasses collapsed as Haku removed the needle she used to pop his vertebrae from each other and thus paralyzing him from the waist down. "Bitch," he cursed as he tried to hit Haku, she merely grabbed his arm, placed a foot next to his ear and broke his neck as she pushed hard. She watched coldly as the man who killed his partner tumbled out of the tree, lifeless.

"Those who kill their own teammates are below trash," she told the corpse.

"And a Heretic is still a Heretic," Haku turned to look at the speaker who she had sensed during her fight with Taijutsu. Without saying anything she drew three needles in each hand, one between each finger. To Haku's surprise the boys eyes widen in fear. Deciding to test a theory she moved the needles from side to side. The boys eyes never left them and he licked his lips nervously. "Do…do all of you Heretics have needles," his voice cracked. As soon as Haku nodded the boy to two fearful steps back turned around and ran. "F-ck this sh-t," he cursed and leapt down a nearby cliff. Haku ran after him and watched as he hit the ground far below and booked it.

"…that was weird."

///

Nieyu hit the ground hard again and Jinkotsu was thrown through a tree. The young Jinchuriki shakily got up on his feet; even with two out of three tails his opponent was mopping the floor with him and the older Kaguya. "What the hell are you," Nieyu demanded. The older teen merely stared at him and blew another bubble that immediately sought out Nieyu and exploded with the force to five letter bombs. Boom! Had Nieyu not put up a chakra shield he would have been toast, that didn't mean he hadn't been hurt though. "*Hack*," he coughed up blood. "What the hell," he wheezed. "This guy is tougher than Suiren. At least I can put up a decent fight with her." The enemy shinobi just stared at him and didn't even flinch when a hundred needles rained down on him from an umbrella.

"Nice shot, I don't think it hurt him," Jinkotsu said as he crawled out from under a tree.

"Might have pissed him off though," Nieyu wheezed.

"Damn, not a single one hit him," Hari complained as she landed next to Jinkotsu to help him up. "What's with this guy?"

"I don't know, his attacks are unbelievably strong. But for someone who is a mid-to-long distance fighter he sure does seem content with staying on the ground in plain sight," Jinkotsu panted as he watched the younger ninja through one eye, his other was swollen shut.

"Heretics."

"There he goes again, always with the heretics. He hasn't said any other word," Nieyu snapped. "If we could just get close to him we could do some damage." They watched as the ninja pulled out his green canister, took as sip and placed it back in its holder underneath his robe.

"He's about to attack again. He always drinks from his canteen when he attacks," Jinkotsu warned Hari. The enemy blew into his reed pipe again and a dozen bubbles shot out at the speed of an expertly thrown kunai. As he blew Haku suddenly appeared behind and above him and delivered a bone shattering kick to his head. He staggered a few feet and smiled.

"You are good Haku, but I'm better," he rasped in a gravelly voice. With lightening quick speed he kicked Haku in the stomach hard enough for her to spew her breakfast. She landed hard on her back with enough force to bounce three feet into the air, but for Haku it was enough for her to do a back flip onto her feet and charge the enemy. Her knee connected with his chin as he punched her in the thigh. Haku spun around him when she landed and with three quick jabs hit him in both arms and in his ribs, the last his left a senbon needle sticking two inches out. "You got me," he coughed as his arms dangled at his sides like rubber hoses. He could feel his right lung fill with blood. "But this is just the beginning. ROAR!" thick grey chakra erupted around him. The needle in his side blew out and his bruises instantly healed. _"Just like with Naruto, only this boy has control of his power,"_ she thought.

"Curses, he's a Jinchuriki," Nieyu shouted.

"Here is a reward for forcing me to draw upon my powers. My Jutsu uses unrefined Nitroglycerin," he gave them a cold smirk as their faces paled. "Using my chakra I keep in from exploding until I choose so, and when I do, it becomes more powerful depending on how much chakra I put in it. So far I haven't been using chakra. Nobody expects bubbles to be made of Nitroglycerin, that's what makes my Jutsu so fun." He looked at all of their tense faces. "Don't worry little Heretics. I won't use it on you anymore." And then he charged.

With speed that surpassed Haku while using her Demonic Crystal Ice Mirrors, the rival Jinchuriki ran his hand through Jinkotsu. The nineteen year old teen looked down at his abdomen, shocked that even with his bone armor under his skin he was pieced to easily. His eyes glazed over as the life drained out of him. He collapsed to the ground dead as the Jinchuriki withdrew his now crimson arm.

"All Heretics must die," he glanced as Nieyu who suddenly collapsed as the older Jinchuriki's knee crashed into the back of his skull. "Two down, two to go!" with his shout he turned into a giant grey furred beast with six pink tail.

"The Six-Tailed Rat," Nieyu muttered. "It's a good thing my bones are reinforced when I draw upon the Three-Tails chakra." He abruptly turned into the Three-Tailed beast and lunged at the rat. "**Get Jinkotsu and get out of here,"** the turtle yelled at the two kuniochi who complied. Nieyu knew that on land he was at even more of a disadvantage, but luckily they were close to the water's edge. If only he could drag his enemy under. The two collided they bit, clawed, smashed each other with their tails and shot one another with powerful chakra loaded Menacing Balls into one another.

Out of nowhere Lightening shot out from the forest and hit the giant rat in the throat. Normally it would have made no difference, but the Jinchuriki's near full bottle of Nitroglycerin was held there. The Nitroglycerin mixed with the Rats chakra and created a deafening explosion that shook the island and completely enveloped the Rat. It screamed in pain and collapsed, down but not out. It was quickly healing and by the time that Nieyu maneuvered behind it and bit into its hind leg to drag into the water it was already standing up to fight. As the Three-Tailed Turtle crunched down on the Rats leg it began to pull backwards into the deep waters of the ocean. The Six-Tails turned and bit and clawed and shot menacing Balls into Nieyu's face, the Turtle roared in pain, but didn't let go.

The Rat then tried to scramble back onto dry land, but was too far into the water. Soon it was dragged under where the waters thrashed in a furry as the Rat was dragged down to the dark depths of the ocean.

///

Haku and Hari stood morbidly over Jinkotsu as they watched Shoushi try to stop the bleeding. They had since had their eardrums fixed after they erupted from the sound of the explosion. Neither knew what happened to Dirk, just that he was way to close when he shot the lightening. As for Nieyu, he dragged the Rat Jinchuriki under the water over half an hour ago. Shoushi had met them halfway back to the Temple with the Sword of Manamiko strapped to her side. She had intended to fight and heal them should they need it. And they needed it badly. All three heard a twig snap and quickly turned around shouted with relief as Dirk stumbled into the small clearing. He didn't have any visible wounds until they saw the blood streaming from his ears. He when he spoke he was practically yelling due to his deafness.

"WHAT HAPPENED, WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT THING?" they tried to explain, but it was evident that he would no longer hear. Finally he was quite once he read their lips. From then on he spoke by moving only his lips as they watched Jinkotsu. He was dead.

"Tassha doesn't have the chakra left to revive him," Shoushi told them sadly. "It will be several days before her chakra is back, and by then it will be too late."

///

"You sure the Jinchuriki will be on this island," a large blue skinned man asked as he played with the hilt of his bandaged wrapped sword.

"Yes Kisame, I'm sure," Itachi replied.

///

Well that's the end of this chapter. Nieyu gone missing, Dirk is completely deaf, and Jinkotsu is dead wit know way to return, and the Akatsuki is closing in. Keep a look out for the next chapter!


	7. Authors note

Authors note: The Kiri Rebellion won't be updated for some time. Cannon has tossed my story to the dogs and I have been too busy with college to work around it and I work eleven hour shifts on Saturdays. This doesn't mean it won't be updated. I plan on finishing this story, but until I can figure out what I direction I am going to go I will not be working on it. Instead, I have been working on a Harry Potter Final Fantasy VII story called The SOLDIER the Turk and the Wizard to fill in my need to write. You can find it on my profile if you wish to read it. With luck I will update the Kiri Rebellion during my Christmas Break. So please be patient a little while longer.


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